Carols of the bells in Labyrinthia
by chloemcg
Summary: Professor Layton and Phoenix Wright are invited to spend some time at Labyrinthia's very first Christmas celebration in years. Can they make a Christmas to truly remember?
1. Two gentlemen in Labriynthia

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Pheonix wright since they belong to Capcom. I don't own the Professor Layton characters either since they belong to Level 5 games. I do own the idea, though, since nobody else had put an idea on fanfiction yet.**

**Carols of the bells in Labyrinthia.**

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><p>Ever since the secrets of Labyrinthia had been uncovered, the townsfolk had been trying to regain as much as they could from their lives. Like they tried to recall what they were doing in the real world before they had chosen to come here and live their not so interesting lives in what felt like another era completely.<span><strong><br>**

However, one day, two sets of heroes had arrived on the scene and had solved the mystery behind the town full of witchcraft and such puzzles. These heroes were Professor Layton; Puzzle-solving archeologist, and Phoenix Wright; remarkable Ace attorney.

A few months had passed since then and now it was Winter in Labyrinthia, very near Christmas actually.

Now the Labyrinthians' had little to no knowledge of the holiday so they couldn't really say that Christmas was a great time of year for celebration and everything else like that even with their memories back so they were quite honestly oblivious to the occasion and to the visitors they were so very likely to have visiting...

Little did anyone realize however was that this Christmas was surely one to remember.

The snow had caked the ground in the thick blanket that made it as hard to tread in as cream and there was a thin layer of ice covering the white substance so it was remarkably easy to slip over and fall so it would make anyone get frostbite within instants of touching the icy cold snow. Nobody knew this fact better than Luke and his mentor, Professor Layton whom were currently walking through it with thick bundles stuffed in each of their arms.

The top hat-wearing gentleman and the boy both smiled as they were both wearing festive outfits that would better fit the chilly weather. Professor Layton still preferred to wear his top hat but he wore a crimson coloured wool scarf as he carried paper bags most likely containing presents wrapped in paper for their closest friends and the citizens of Labriynthia as they both walked, feeling the cold nip at their faces and taint their cheeks a vivid scarlet. Both of them grinned despite their cold noses and such as they heard the 'crunch' of the snow beneath them with each step they took further towards their destination.

Luke sang a happy Christmas carol through the empty streets of the town whilst Professor Layton simply looked on a head and smiled at his young apprentice's unwavering enthusiasm. He tried to maintain his composure and continue to walk through the snow and not question everyone's whereabouts so he could concentrate on avoiding humiliation by slipping on the ice and snow under his feet.

"Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way~" Luke sang aloud whilst dancing around, circling the professor with jolly enthusiasm.

Professor Layton found it hard not to smile down at the young boy's undying love for the holidays of sweets, gift exchanging and many other endearing traditions that may accompany with or without them. However he was becoming aware that Luke's jolly bursting out in song was disturbing the other citizens of the former medieval-themed town.

Professor Layton tipped the rim of his top hat down towards Luke and decided to speak on behalf of the other townspeople "Luke, you may want to tone down your musical outbursts." He still smiled down at Luke when he told him this, not wanting to sour his sweet little display of his love for the holiday festivities "I do not think that the townspeople are sharing your keen delight."

Luke covered his mouth and stopped singing as he recomposed himself and walked merrily alongside his mentor with a small grin "Sorry, professor..."

The duo continued the trip towards the bakery. They didn't say a word to each other and the only sounds between them would have to be the cold winds whipping passed their ears and the crunching of the snow they trudged in as they made their way towards the bakery where they had lived for a short while during their last stay here.

They both recalled the circumstances that had brought them here. They had been invited for the first ever Christmas festival which was organised by Arthur Cantabella, the newly declared mayor of this town and father of their friend, Espella Cantabella. This was the first Christmas ever apparently! Anyways, as they had nothing to do over the holidays and Luke's parents had abandoned Luke yet again for a holiday, the two had decided to accept the invitation.

Even though Luke barely showed it, he was quite upset about his father dropping him off at Professor Layton's house. He loved the professor, no doubt about that! But he was just a bit hurt that his father would be in such a need of a break that he would leave him with the Professor during the holidays.

Professor Layton smiled softly as he gently nudged the young boy to reassure him and to remind him that he was there for him.

"Say Luke?" Professor Layton began with a smirk, deciding to break the uncomfortable silence they shared "When we get to the bakery, why don't we see if Mrs. Eclaire has ready-made some scrumptious treats? I'm sure she has pastry galore awaiting you!"

Luke grinned giddily and almost drooled on himself at the thought of all that pastry and dough with his name on them. However he sensed an unnatural excitement come from the Professor's voice, like he was trying to hide something. It was probably to make him forget the fact that his parents, especially his father, abandoned him once again. He knew his parents loved him but he would have loved a Christmas with his parents and Professor Layton combined.

He found a sad smile forming on his lips. His eyes watering slightly, Luke adjusted his cap and made sure to hide his tears. He didn't wish to concern the professor, after all: a gentleman never makes a scene in public.

"Um, er, yes!" He exclaimed, forcing a smile "Maybe I can have a conversation with Eve!"

The Professor adjusted the scarlet scarf wrapped tightly around his neck, pulling at the tails dangling from the side slightly as he felt the wind ruffle them in the frigid breeze.

He recalled the fact that Luke could converse with animals. It would be interesting to see Luke chat with Eve, Espella's cat, and Constantine, a frisky puppy who belongs to a certain inquisitor. Professor Layton could just picture the scene transpiring over a nice piping-hot cup of hot chocolate with Luke resting on an arm chair bundled up in a cozy little blanket: a quaint little scene, to say the least.

However their journey was brought to a sudden halt whence some whistling caught his ears just like a faint sliver in the wind. The professor stopped dead in his tracks and gasped a little when those faint sounds of musical blows had caught his ears. A look of surprise flashed on his face for a moment but then it changed into a look of contentment as a smile returned to his face and his eyes softened.

Luke was surprised. Where was that whistling coming from? Why was the professor surprised for that instant? What was going on here!?

The professor understood, luckily, and patted the boy's head with a smile, shifting the bags into one arm "Don't worry, Luke, things will be explained soon enough."

Luke was left confused. Those same questions just buzzed through his mind as he couldn't comprehend what was going on. He just continued walking and kept confident in what his mentor had just told him and he decided to heed his words since Professor Layton was to always be trusted, anyone saying otherwise would be complete and utter fools.

He felt the cold nip at his nose but he didn't really care.

The two walked through the snow, unable to do much else as they each carried their bags full of gifts. The two gentlemen threaded through the heavily blanket of snow that covered the ground beneath their feet, feeling a sudden rush of excitement between the both of them. They walked for a minute more before they were suddenly greeted by a familiar voice that was carried by the chilling winds of winter yet it sounded like a mellow echo.

They couldn't hear it very well as the cold winds had made the voice vague to the ears, making it very hard to discern exactly what was being said by the owner of the voice.

Luke and Professor Layton both smiled when they saw a small figure or two in the distance. They were wandering towards the Professor and Luke with something large and green being dragged behind one of them. Professor Layton responded to one of the voices by yelling towards the other voice as it became clearer and clearer to hear.

_"...Professor, Luke! Hello!" _

"Hello, Mr. Wright!" The gentleman yelled in response to that yell aimed towards himself and his apprentice. Wait, the one yelling to them was...! Phoenix Wright and Maya Fey was here too!? This had just become a cool Christmas!

Luke just had his gawking look of disbelief, his eyes wide. He could hardly comprehend this, Phoenix Wright was spending Christmas with them here in Labyrinthia. The young boy was sure that disbelief was the main emotion he was feeling but he could also feel a slight joy foreshadow his other emotions and leak into that shock. He found himself breaking into a sprint since he was so happy to see his old friends.

Professor didn't dare try and stop the boy since he felt happy that Luke was happy for now. Now they just needed to get Christmas out of the way and have some fun.

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><p><strong>AN: Professor Layton VS Phoenix Wright in Christmas time! **

**I can't wait to write more about this, guys, I had noticed that nobody else had written any Holiday specials. It was kind of sad but I decided to make one myself. Lets see what happens, this should be a Christmas full of puzzles and Court room battles...maybe.**

**Please review!**

**-Chloemcg**


	2. Christmas nipping at your nose

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Pheonix wright since they belong to Capcom. I don't own the Professor Layton characters either since they belong to Level 5 games. I do own the idea, though, since nobody else had put an idea on fanfiction yet.**

**Carols of the bells in Labyrinthia.**

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><p>Phoenix Wright and his assistant Maya Fey trudged right through the strong flooring of snow covering the ground in a thick layer of snow, carrying way more stuff than the professor and Luke whom the former (Phoenix) had just shouted out to as they were meeting each other halfway down the route of the bakery.<p>

Neither Ace attorney nor Spirit medium knew what to expect this year.

All they really knew was that this was the very first Christmas festivities here in over alledgedly ten whole years and both them and the Professor and Luke had been invited to bring out the festivities for the town.

They basically said nothing as they walked, Phoenix dragging a huge Christmas tree over his shoulder behind him whilst a bag was held in his teeth as he bit down on the string meant to hold it up. He couldn't hold it any other way since his hands were completely full and this forced him to find other methods.

"So, Nick." Maya began, putting an end to the silence "What do you think Christmas will be like here since it will be their first one?"

Phoenix couldn't help but smile towards her through chattering teeth. As always, Maya was bouncy and quite oblivious to much else other than the sometimes devious plots that would hatch from the depths of that strange noggin of hers. He would have loved to adjust the navy blue scarf he wore around his neck over a thick wooly cardigan tainted in the colour azure blue but couldn't because of how freezing cold he was.

He made an attempt to hide his bone-chilling cold through a huge forced smile "I-I-I d-d-don't kn-know, M-M-M-Maya."

Maya raised a suspicious brow at the spiky-haired ace attorney. He was clearly freezing cold but didn't want to admit it to anyone when usually he was so open about an on-coming cold which he tended to get a lot in these type of conditions. Maybe he just had a weak immunity to simple colds or something, he was especially sensitive with those.

She brushed some of her charcoal black hair out of her eyes and gave him a bubbly grin. Phoenix was now shuddering with each step as he walked through the snow and he was clearly growing quite pale which was sort of the type of complexion that would actually match a ghost of Halloween. Wrong holiday, it should seem.

"C'mon, Nick, don't tell me you're cold with those extra layers of winter clothing!" Maya held a hand to her mouth to stifle some giggles of amusement as she watched the defense attorney sniff up some mucus that decided to pour from his nostril and make a slight streak down his upper lip before he sucked it back up into his nose, his sinuses being clogged up with a heavy case of the sniffles.

Phoenix said nothing but looked at her through a long face filled with chattering teeth and shivering through his warm clothing items. His deep blue eyes sent over a look of pure annoyance. He knew Maya was taunting him about this -teasingly of course- but there was nothing he could really say "no" to the fact that he was freezing to death.

Before either of them could say anymore, they finally found that they stood just a metre away from a winter-dressed pair of gentlemen. The two groups of two each gave each other a friendly smile as they gave each other their own greetings before walking towards the bakery together which was where they were spending this holiday season.

"Greetings once again, Mr Wright." Professor Layton smiled, shuffling all the bags he held to one arm so he could spare a hand in order to politely to the group.

Phoenix smiled in return. It had been a few months since they had last teamed up together like this so they were now spending a swell Christmas together as none of them had anything better to do with their time, since basically everyone was coincidently busy this year and thus leaving our heroes with not much to do with their holidays but this.

Phoenix, still shivering like a maraca, extended his hand out for the gentleman wearing the brown top hat to shake graciously in a gesture of reunion.

"N-N-Nice to s-see y-you again M-M-Mr Layton..." Phoenix said warmly through chattery teeth, completely giving away how cold he was. Of course everyone figured it out right away as they burst into a slight fit of laughter before they made their way towards the bakery where they hoped to spend time together with a very good friend of theirs.

The frigid air actually made Phoenix's nose so red that it would give Rudolph the Red-nosed reindeer a run for his money, as he gave a heavy cough that was most likely due to an oncoming cold that would most likely plague him for awhile yet until Christmas. His bleary eyes blinked back tears of ocular irritation that had formed in his bloodshot eyes.

Luke smiled as he walked alongside Phoenix, a sympathetic look shining in his innocent his eyes "Aw, don't worry Mr Wright..." He reached up and took the ace attorney's freezing cold hand in his toasty miniature one "We'll be in the bakery soon. Its nice and warm in there!"

The professor and Maya followed close behind, minding the Christmas tree that Phoenix had been dragging across the snow and watched as it left a great big worm-like trail in the white cold stuff. Both Maya and Professor Layton said nothing but they did exchanged a warm smile to each other before looking back towards the two in front of them, staying really, really quiet.

The group of four didn't need to wait long before they finally reached the bakery where they stood outside the door for quite awhile. They could just feel the warmth from the inside of the small building and the delightful scent wafting right passed their noses totally was enough to whet their appetites since they were very close to dribbling all over themselves. They stood outside the door with their mouthes hung open, their jaws close to touching the floor, and Maya and Luke rushed inside to get some warm bread.

Phoenix chattered his teeth yet smiled in relief. Clearly the inside was very toast-warm and the amber glow lighting up the back wall indicated an obvious flame meant to give them and the inhabitants a great deal of loving warmth. He honestly couldn't wait to go inside but when he made a move to go in, both himself and the Professor were jumped.

Espella Cantabella, a very good friend of the group, had tossed herself out the open door and embraced both Professor Layton and Phoenix into one massive cuddling session.

Espella was the very first friend the Professor and Phoenix Wright from this town once shrouded in mystery. They had fought to protect her when she was accused of being a witch time and time again. She was a very kind and selfless young lady whom had such a fighting spirit but at the same time she was almost a bit meek and fragile. Nobody dared tell the girl this, however, as she was just too lovely to say that to and feared of breaking her heart.

Both Professor Layton and Phoenix were squished together in Espella's hold but they smiled and welcomed it anyway as the Professor of London wrapped his left arm around her whilst Phoenix done the same with his right arm. It looked like they both were returning the hug she was giving them in a special way.

"Mr Layton, Mr Wright, it's been ages since we last met!" Espella cried out in rejoice, nuzzling her head in between the two adults since she couldn't just hug one of them.

Professor Hershel Layton spoke through a strained voice, smiling through the tight squeeze that sandwiched both himself and Phoenix together in a very uncomfortable position yet they didn't want to complain "Actually, Espella," he closed one eye in pain as he gasped lightly "it has been five months since our last encounter."

Phoenix's face was now turning from white to blue as he gasped for air, fighting back the urge to claw at his throat and have this hug released "Yeah...it has been awhile."

The trio now exchanged a momentary silence. Professor Layton nor Phoenix Wright could even breathe now and they had to tell the poor thing before they perished from suffocation. Politely, the Professor lightly tapped Espella's shoulder from behind and asked as softly as he could "Um, Espella, may you please release us? I fear that we would perish from suffocation if we stay in this nice snuggle much longer."

Immediately Espella released the two men with an apologetic look etched on her face. She fiddled with her thick platinum blonde plats, looking away embarrassed, and she shuffled her feet nervously in the snow beneath their feet. Nobody dared speak a word to make anything more awkward.

Professor Layton stood still. This was indeed very long for a trail of silence, one would probably think it was a Remembrance day ten-minute-silence or something.

It was then that a sudden noise had brought the Professor, Espella and Phoenix out from their trance and they gazed at the owner of the sound in alarm.

"Ah...Aaaah...ACHOO!"

It turned out that it was Phoenix who owned that sneeze as he looked down at his sleeve and wiped his nose across it in a most improper way, making professor. Layton crinkle his nose a bit in disgust as he brought out white piece of cloth from his pocket and handed it to the blue-wearing attorney at law.

"...Bless you, Mr Wright." Professor watched as Phoenix mumbled a croaky apology before he blew his stuffy nose into the handkerchief he was given.

Both Espella and Professor Layton shook their heads and closed their eyes in unison. It didn't exactly come as a surprise that this poor man was coming down with something, for some reason. They both simply let out a small sigh before they looped their arms under Phoenix's underarms to help him stand encase he began to fall over.

They both assisted him inside the bakery, somehow pulling the tree inside with them, and they were greeted with an amazing sight that brought smiles to their faces.

It was magnificent.

Eve Belduke, former inquisitor Zacharias Barnham, Arthur Cantabella (Espella's father), Ms Eclaire, Constantine the frisky bichon frise puppy and Eve the cat surrounded the three incomers. They all wore happy grins since they too were excited to see their old comrades and they seemed ready to celebrate.

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><p><strong>AN: Hi, guys. This is the second chapter of "Carols of the bells in Labriynthia" and I hope it contains a lot you would like...such as the fact that Phoenix once again has a cold? **

**Lets see what else will happen, what will Professor Layton and Phoenix Wright bring this time? Will they assure that everyone enjoys Christmas or will christmas forever be daunting to the people of this once medieval-themed town? **

**Who knows, maybe there may even be Christmas carols sung.**

**Lets see what else our heroes get up to.**

**-Chloemcg**


	3. Snowdrops and decorating

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Phoenix wright since they belong to Capcom. I don't own the Professor Layton characters either since they belong to Level 5 games. I do own the idea, though, since nobody else had put an idea on fanfiction yet.**

**Carols of the bells in Labyrinthia.**

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><p>Everyone got down to work with setting up the Christmas decorations.<p>

Professor Layton was whistling the tune of a jolly Christmas carol as he had the fairy lights looped over his arm and he proceeded towards a beautiful Christmas tree that was almost as spiky as Phoenix Wright's head.

Speaking of whom; Phoenix was also tending to the Christmas tree as he made sure the stand would fit the bottom of the trunk like a jigsaw puzzle piece. He too was whistling a tune that countered the Professor's while he sniffed coldly yet he was being warmed by the open fire of the bread oven that was normally used for baking doughy, soft treats.

Professor Layton knelt down beside the tree to set the Christmas tree lights down on the floor beside a box crammed with ribbons, Christmas ball-balls, tinsel and plastic figurines to hang on the tree. He moved on from whistling to humming and mumbling the lyrics of "jingle bells" the same carol Luke had sang on the way here with such a merry enthusiasm that it was sort of endearing to watch such a cute sight.

He stood back up to stretch his tired knees when he noticed that Luke and Espella were baking gingerbread men in the oven after some recipes had been exchanged and carried them towards the table on a baking trey as to protect their delicate fingertips from their steaming hot warmth.

The professor watched with a smile as Luke and Espella sat down on the table and were both permitted to each eat a gingerbread man as a reward for being so good. He was proud that Luke was forgetting about that saddening thing with his actual family...

While all was mostly quiet here, Phoenix decided to lighten the mood with some conversation. He looked up from his work and looked at the professor curiously with a black, wiry brow thinned over his left eye in a look of curiosity.

"So Professor," Phoenix began "how's this year been treating you?"

The professor looked up from his tinkering with the Christmas lights. He tried to read the expression that the defense attorney wore, trying to get a good idea on how Phoenix was feeling with the clear cut cold he had begun to shoulder. He couldn't see anything worth asking about expression-wise so he simply answered the question.

"It has been alright, thank you for asking." The professor tipped his top hat warmly to the ace attorney. This year had been very good for both himself and Luke and there have been plenty of good puzzles to solve and everything. He closed his eyes in a relaxed manner "Luke and myself have been busier than ever with the cases that come to us." He opened one eye curiously "...And what of you?"

"Oh." Phoenix sniffled, his nose red and his eyes a tiny bit lidded from exhaustion. He didn't expect this question to arise "Its been a lil' empty-" he sniffed again "-at the Wright and co. law office so I haven't been getting as much work since...well I'd rather not talk about it." He trailed off and glanced down as if whatever he was about to add to the end of that sentence was really hard to recall. It wasn't because he couldn't remember, it was that he didn't _want _to remember. He just hated recounting the good old days and didn't intend on looking back.

The professor noticed this hesitation. The man seemed really put out by talking about this, it appeared. Maybe Phoenix lost someone close to him not too long ago and couldn't speak about it because of how much loss hurts...he knew this all too well, better than anyone actually. Hershel Layton shuffled towards his friend and placed an encouraging hand on his shoulder and patted it supportively.

He gave the spiky-haired ace attorney a gentle smile.

"Do not fret, Mr. Wright, I shall not poke into your private affairs." The professor scooted back towards the fairy lights and got to work on wrapping the wire around the tree and being careful with the cord, if there was _any _electricity whatsoever in this town now.

He expertly lassoed it around over and over until the gentleman succeeded in making the graceful Christmas tree glisten with its many blinking lights, flashing and glowing in multiple festive colourations. The lights sparkled against the fire's orange glow and were polished like a fine gem sparking beneath a gentle shred of sunlight.

The professor of archaeology also helped Phoenix hang some of the decorations on the tree but managed to save some of the little objects for Maya, Espella and Luke.

The professor and Phoenix smiled in satisfaction of their work and turned his head to see Luke liking a spoon that was covered in mint chocolate cookie dough, Maya had her face buried in the bowl as she was busily licking the dough sticking to the inside of it and Espella was washing the dishes with Mrs. Eclaire. This was so typical of the both of the professor's apprentice and the ace attorney's assistant since both their stomachs were bigger than a black hole the size of a whole galaxy.

The leaders of each duo didn't want to pry Luke nor Maya away from their cookie dough-licking but they would probably get a stomach ache otherwise and that would be horrible.

"Luke, Ms. Fey, Espella! Why don't you come help us with the tree?" Phoenix called out, forgetting about his cold for a moment before remembering and ducking his head in between his shoulders as a headache came-a-pounding.

The three didn't hesitate and ran towards the two men with happy grins on their faces, eyes shining like those of a child on Christmas morning...other words in a few days from this one. They rocked back and forth excitedly on the heels of their feet in unison as they were clearly excited to start decorating the tree.

Luke picked up some tinsel and began to wrap it happily around the tree with the professor's assistance, Maya enthusiastically put up some of the plastic decorations, Espella happily hung some little ball balls on the branches and Phoenix decided to sit himself down in Espella's room and get some rest until lunch time. He wanted to sleep off his forsaken, stupid cold.

However, strangely enough, both Barnham and Eve have gone missing, apparently going to get some ingredients for something like a Christmas dinner, while the Storyteller simply left to organise preparations. They were all taking awhile to get back, however.

The professor was very suspicious. This was clearly a time to remember those close to you but...

what if some of those loved ones came back to haunt you?

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><p><strong>AN: Woah, poor Phoenix might be struggling with a loss of someone close to him but who could it possibly be? If you know Phoenix incredibly well then I think you know who he's missing. **

**Lets wait for the next chapter, shall we?**

**-Chloemcg**


	4. Wavering emotions

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Phoenix wright since they belong to Capcom. I don't own the Professor Layton characters either since they belong to Level 5 games. I do own the idea, though, since nobody else had put an idea on fanfiction yet.**

**Carols of the bells in Labyrinthia.**

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><p>Zacharias Barnham and Eve Belduke walked alongside each other with a very uncomfortable silence looming over them both.<p>

Each time they breathed out from the mouth, a frigid mist formed from their breaths just like the fiery breath of a vicious dragon. Eve and Barnham said nothing as they gazed over the fine selection of steaming hot doughy molds and rows of near-delectable, etiquette spices that decided to assault their nostrils and it almost made them sneeze from the tickling of their olfactory receptors.

The particular product they sought out was nothing special, just something that should be traditional for any Christmas banquet.

Both former inquisitors said nothing as they glanced over the fine line of products that was on sale with their eyes tracing along each and every neatly aligned treat that sat on the stand's smooth mahogany surface and they both steamed quite heavily as the warm steam they let off evaporated into the chilling air that drifted right along with the snowy environment.

Barnham gulped nervously as he thought about what he should say instead of remaining silent. He couldn't just stay so uncomfortably silent like this, it was -as sir Layton would put it- downright ungentlemanly and overwhelmingly awkward. He tried to make his voice box work but all that came out was nothing of the sort, what came out couldn't even be considered as words.

Luckily for the sake of his dignity Eve decided to speak as she glanced down at the freshly-made treats that frankly made her get a case of the munchies and mentally picked out some specific pastries while she talked.

"Honeslty I am not too fond of this cold..." She quickly glanced towards Zacharias and back to the little pastries in her wake "it makes everything all slippery and dull."

The former knight of inquisition simply gave a brisk chuckle beneath his breath. It didn't surprise him to hear that ms. Belduke was not a fan of such harsh conditions since she hated the grey cold snow as they reminded her of herself apparently. He had only guessed this since it would make sense since she really lacked in self-confidence that was needed to boil her self esteem.

He bobbed his head in agreement. No arguing with her there.

"Indeed, Milady," He gave an awkward clearing of the throat "I too do not hold much joy for the winter season."

That was a lie. Despite him being a bit of what Luke and Maya called "a Scrooge" during the winter seasons, he actually loved wandering around in the cold snow as the flakes drifting to the ground usually inspired him to fulfil his mission for foolishly sentimental reasons. He adored the snow and frozen wasteland despite everyone else disliking this fair weather.

Eve appeared to have seen through this lie as she thinned a dull brow towards him. A frown thinned on her pale white lips as she wiped away a strand of her own purple hair from her eyes before moving her arms to pull her shawl over her shoulders and head.

"T'is a lie isn't it?" She guessed.

Barnham gulped suddenly, completely surprised by his accomplice's sharpness. Her mind was akin to that of his trusty blade that he carried by his side.

Reluctantly he gave in and hung his head in defeat yet he was smiling. He shook his head whilst he gave a brisk scoff that said "I saw this coming" and he lifted his head so his eyes could meet Eve's and he confessed "...Your mind is indeed sharper than metal."

Eve smiled in satisfaction. She knew she was right, that could never be doubted in the very least lest anyone would question her without knowing how intimidating she could be when angered or such. She resumed checking each pastry on sale yet she was blissfully unaware that Barnham was staring at her in a way that clouded even his own mind with the unknowing and frustrating feeling of confusion.

The knight's cheeks were tainted a deep red hue as he stared at the back of her covered head, watching her hum a small yet dark tune as her hand hovered over each delectable little mint-flavoured treat that sold his taste buds. He couldn't explain this feeling he felt towards Ms. Belduke, it was so mystifying.

Everytime he saw her it would fill him with this overwhelming feeling of joy and happiness that matched no other feelings he felt towards other people. He would get overprotective of her and he very often dreamt about her and had very strange daydreams of the both of them getting romantically involved. He could not explain these warm feelings of what he assumed was affection towards the young lady much less get rid of them.

He anxiously scratched the back of his head. What to talk about now?

A question left his lips before he could even stop it "Ms. Eve when we select the pastries may you explain a bit of the traditions of this "Christmas" holiday that you, Sir dark hat and Sir blue knight speak of?"

After letting that question slip right beneath his nose Zacharias slapped a hand to his mouth with his eyes lighting up in embarrassment. Did he really just ask that!?

Nevertheless Eve looked up from her window shopping and looked up at the former knight. She was confused. She actually knew what Christmas was since she had been old enough to recall it whence she was a young girl and didn't have her memories repressed unlike the other citizens in this town who were hypnotised. Basically she was the only one, other than the storyteller, who knew what the holidays were.

She just didn't expect Barnham of all people to be the first person to ask.

She gave him a faint but warm smile and nodded in approval, her eyes shining a bit excitedly. Eve hurriedly paid for some chosen pastries before she turned to face Zacharias and answered him properly.

"...Of course I can, Inquisitor Barnham." She bowed her head in a muted display of gratitude while the noble-hearted knight of the inquisition returned this bow of the head. He was sort of intrigued about the celebration that they were supposed to be celebrating but at the same time he was very curious about the world outside of Labriynthia.

The two decided to go back to the bakery while chatting on the way. What they didn't know was that their hands unknowingly joined together with their fingers intertwining passionately, lacing in what seemed so much like a puzzle when they combined.

Both former inquisitors walked off into the distance with a romantic glow surrounding the both of them as the snowflakes continued to flutter to the ground below.

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><p>Meanwhile in the bakery...<p>

Phoenix shuddered while he nestled comfortably in the blankets wrapped around him while he sat in front of the flame-lit oven that stood before him in a way to keep him warm as he sniffled from the cold he suffered.

The spiky haired ace attorney closed his eyes drearily as he felt a fleeting exhaustion clutch his mind like the talon of an eagle snatching up its prey. He snuggled up into the blankets he was bundled up inside while he sat on the floor while feeling the gentle flames warm his face so much that his cheeks were at risk of turning a bright shade of red from the closeness of being sat in front of a set of flames.

He could still picture when Maya was dropped into a similar set of flames. He could picture it all too well as he frowned sadly at the memory, burrowing his chin into his covered chest while his knees were tucked up against his chest while the blanket was wrapped around his body all the way from his toes to his neck.

Suddenly the sweet yet thickly-accented voice of a certain loyal apprentice sounded right in his ear.

"Are you feeling okay, Mr Wright?"

Phoenix glanced back up at the owner of the voice, a shade of amber and orange colouring his face as he turned his head and looked up at Luke whom wore a gentle smile whilst he held a small teacup that was cupped in both his hands.

The ace attorney sniffled again and forced a weak smile. He couldn't risk Luke worrying about him, not during the holidays. He spoke through a scratchy dry voice "I'm perfectly fine, L-Luke. You just enjoy the cookies and stuff..."

However Luke didn't seem to buy into the lawyer's words in the least. He gave a knowing look and stubbornly seated himself next to the cold-ridden attorney with a gentle smile, twisting his side so he could hold out the warm beaker rimming his hands.

"Mr. Wright, a gentleman never turns his back on a friend." He smiled sincerely as he watched Phoenix reluctantly take the cup of green tea from him.

Phoenix wouldn't dare say this to anyone but the professor but Luke was most definitely fiercely loyal beyond any other kid his age, no doubt about that. He smiled gratefully as he brought the rim of the porcelain to his lips and took a sip of the warm brew inside the round piece of fine china. He watched the flames inside the fireplace intently while Luke watched them with him.

The two didn't utter a word for a moment or two until Luke broke the silence.

"So, Mr. Wright," Luke asked, rubbing the palms of his hands readily "would you like to build some snowmen with Maya and I later?"

Phoenix couldn't help but smile. He would have loved to say "yes" and go outside to build a snowman with Maya and Luke, maybe with the professor and Espella joining them, but he simply lowered his head feverishly in shame. He couldn't go outside right now because his cold was just horrid.

Why was he very prone to getting colds!?

He shook his head with a sad smile.

"Sorry, Luke," Phoenix apologised "I'm just not *sniffle* feeling great right now."

Luke seemed a bit disappointed but he nodded in understanding. He couldn't force Phoenix to just go outside because he knew that having a cold was horrible, especially when it was constant. He humbly patted the top of Phoenix's hand and gave a nod of agreement before he stared back at the fire with a lost look in his innocent eyes.

There was something bothering the attorney, though, and it was something he was rather reluctant to bring up:

Luke's parents.

Not once were they mentioned by the professor nor by Luke. Phoenix deduced that the professor couldn't possibly be Luke's biological father since while they shared a father/son-like bond that couldn't mean that the professor was his actual father and the differences alone was just too obvious, they didn't even share the same surname. He didn't think adoption was really an option since Luke specifically called himself "the professor's apprentice" instead of "the professor' adopted son" but then again, Luke could possibly just be choosing to leave that part out but would the professor too?

It didn't seem logical...

Phoenix was brought out from his train of thought and shivered from the cold brewing from outside. He furrowed a questioning wiry brow at the professor's apprentice.

He cleared his throat, gaining Luke's attention, and he asked slowly "So Luke, aren't you're folks joining us?"

Luke fell completely silent but the expression he wore suddenly turned from calm and content to one of shock and terror and his gaze was fixed back on those entrancing flames roasting some bread in the fireplace/oven. His breathing completely halted as a suck of breath racked his breathing and his lips were sealed shut.

He seemed totally shocked by the question but it slowly twisted into one of anger and betrayal as tears welled up into his eyes and he sharply turned to face Phoenix, two of his fingers suddenly shoving the rim of his cap over his eyes to shield his betrayed expression. Luke bolted up to his feet and growled in a low voice, clearly giving his emotions away.

The professor's apprentice sniffled yet the tone behind was voice was filled with bile and resentment.

"M-My folks...? Y-You mean my _parents, _Mr. Wright?" He asked.

Phoenix was confused by the boy's sudden mood change. What was happening to Luke? Before he could go ahead and ask, Luke flew into a rage as he stomped his foot angrily with relentless tears pouring from his eyes and trailing down his face and his mouth was curved into a wobbly frown of spiralling, out-of-control emotions.

"They always abandon me, they don't love me, their always busy and always make excuses to run off and leave me with the professor!" He roared but he decided to point out quickly "B-But I do love the professor, I really do, but m-my dad is always yelling at me but he never spends time with me! My mum is usually there for me, b-but she's busy too!"

Luke was now ranting as everything he said came out increasingly agitated and he clenched his fists to try and contain his bottling emotions.

Phoenix was now beginning to regret asking that question. That poor kid sounded really betrayed and upset by the very topic of his parents but the spiky-haired ace attorney couldn't change the subject, Luke was far too upset for that!

Luke slammed a fist against the wall as he hid his face -mainly his eyes- beneath his sleeve and he whimpered through pants. His cap was no longer shielding his expression but he didn't care anymore. He just shook his head and then bolted up the stairs while wailing through waterfalls of tears that dripped on to each step as he dashed up the stairs with his feet slamming against the staircase leading up to Espella's room.

"Luke come back!" Phoenix called out as hard as he could but Luke was long gone by now. Luke was gone.

Maya, Espella and Professor Layton rushed to the scene and were instantly surrounding Phoenix who was still confused about that blow up Luke had.

Maya glared daggers at Phoenix and folded her arms across her chest "Nick, what did you do!?" She demanded angrily.

Phoenix held up his hands defensively but he wore a slightly somber expression on his face as he was just very concerned about Luke's reaction to that one question regarding his family, that wasn't the reaction he hoped to hear. He was a bit scared of Maya's accusing scowl, though.

"Me!? I didn't do anything!" He exclaimed through a snuffly nose.

Professor Layton folded his arms across his chest while he also glared at Phoenix yet there was a hint of knowledge behind that stern look he wore on his rectangular face. He inquired with a curious tone of voice "...You didn't bring up his parents, did you?"

The spiky haired attorney was now fully aware that asking about the Triton's to Luke was a big fat no-no. It sounded that Luke was completely peeved at his folks for all those times he had been apparently dumped with Professor Layton, although it seemed that it was more his father that anger was directed at. His mother he was only partially angry at and the professor he didn't get mad at whatsoever.

He hesitantly nodded with a guilty look flashing inside his eyes and this made the professor pinch the bridge of his nose while sighing both calmly and irritably.

Professor Layton released his nose and explained slowly "...Mr. Wright, you may have opened up a can of worms here. Luke does not wish to speak about his parents, not right now."

Phoenix was even more confused. Why would a boy feel such resentment towards the ones who brought him into the world? This was actually very confusing that he couldn't even fathom what this could all mean.

The professor, reading the attorney's mind like a book, sighed lowly and explained how Luke and himself had met for the second time in years and about their very first adventure in Misthallery. He also explained how Luke's father, Clark, basically had to juggle his job as the mayor and father to his needy son.

Phoenix and Espella listened intently while Maya blocked the story out just after Luke's dad was mentioned.

The spirit medium leaned against the stair banister with a sympathetic frown. She couldn't blame Luke in the slightest, he wanted his parents to spend time with him for Christmas and they basically chose work over him. That poor child must have been suffering with this strangled family relationship.

Maya sighed sadly but shot a determined look up towards the darkened stairs. She was going to try and confide with Luke and cheer him up about this, there was no other way out of this in her mind.

While the professor was finishing his tale, Maya wandered slowly up the stairs.

She didn't know what she would find but she was going to cheer that kid up no matter what it took. She was going to make Nick apologise for bringing up such a delicate issue later but first she needed to bring things down a notch.

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><p><strong>AN: The forth chapter.**

**Awww, poor Luke. He must be feeling lonely because his family keep doing this to him. Will Maya be able to heal Luke's broken heart a bit and soothe both of their hurting hearts during the holidays?**

**We also get some BarnhamXBelduke in this chapter...or more like one sided romance. Hopefully that should be developed too.**

**Lets see what happens next, shall we?**

**Please review.**

**-Chloemcg**


	5. Remembrance of the lost

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Phoenix wright since they belong to Capcom. I don't own the Professor Layton characters either since they belong to Level 5 games. I do own the idea, though, since nobody else had put an idea on fanfiction yet.**

**Carols of the bells in Labyrinthia.**

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><p>Maya slowly crept up the staircase with a determined look on her face.<p>

Phoenix had apparently asked Luke about his parents and that made the poor boy break down into tears before he retreated into Espella's bedroom and slammed the door behind him so he could wail as loud as his young lungs would allow.

The spirit medium grimaced when those troubled wails reached her ears. A sudden wave of sympathy washed over her as she realised all that pain that the poor boy was probably bottling up this entire time and she felt really bad for him. Poor Lukey... He must have been hurting really bad because this was a huge amount of pain he was letting out all alone in there.

This revitalised the urge to go and comfort the boy.

Maya's feet slammed against the stairs and when she reached the door to Espella's bedroom, she threw open the door and found Luke huddled up in a corner of the moderately sized bedroom whilst sobbing his eyes out and his face was sticky and stained with tears and a bit of mucus that poured from his nostrils.

Luke glanced up at Maya, keeping some tears at bay, and he shivered while he curled up into the smallest ball he could muster. He sniffled and closed his eyes to just try and not let the woman see the tears he was crying. A gentleman never made a scene, especially not in front of a lady.

"M-Maya!" He squeaked in surprise "I-I didn't mean to shout at M-Mr. Wright, I..." He stopped in mid-sentence when the young girl rushed towards him and gathered him up into her arms so she could silence him and she set him down on his lap. Luke and Maya shared a very uncomfortable silence as they looked into the room they had ran into and examined every minor detail.

Because of how late it was becoming, the room had darkened quite a bit. There was a few shambles of what was left since poor Luke had become quite angered because of that question about his parents and he had kind of kicked off in quite a literal sense.

The boy snuffled as he huddled close to the spirit medium. He could feel her heartbeat against his ear as his breath was swept away by the free air that surrounded the pair and Luke couldn't help but clutch on tight to the fabric of the Ace assistant's as tears streaked down his face and he tried to regain his composure.

He breathed heavily before letting it out in a heavy sigh of deep depression. He really didn't mean to lose his temper, it was actually something he never would have done in his right mind. He was just frustrated with his parents actions towards him because they usually hurt his feelings.

As Luke was hugged by the spirit medium, Maya told him in a small whisper of a voice "Luke, you have nothing to be ashamed of. I know what its like to miss someone during the holidays."

Luke snuffled again, his sobs slightly lacing with his slow breathing, and he stayed in the warming hold of the female spirit medium whilst he didn't dare make any attempts of worming out of her comforting embrace. He decided to just listen to what she had to say.

Maya continued, her voice sad "...My sister, Mia, died a year ago and I still miss her during the holidays. I still find it hard to believe that she was gone." She closed her eyes sadly, hanging her head as she drew a deep breath out from her throat.

Luke seemed shocked to hear that, but more guilty. He hadn't known that Maya's sister had...! He felt so mean for overreacting in such a ungentlemanly way now, how could he complain about his parents not being there when Maya's family were no longer around!?

He squeaked again in panic "O-Oh, Miss Maya! I-I'm so sorry, I didn't know!"

However Maya smiled softly down at him, stroking his head soothingly to silence him. It worked a bit, at the very least, and Luke stopped speaking and looked solemnly up at the Spirit medium with huge, sad eyes that twinkled like stars in the dim lighting of the room.

The two assistants didn't utter a word as they just sat there in the darkened room's silence. Neither could feel nothing but pure sadness because of what they had lost in their lives and yet -despite the misfortune- they held on to a small shred of hope that lightened the dark tunnel just a smudge.

Maya continued talking and she made Luke's eyes meet hers as she put two fingers beneath the Professors apprentice's chin in order to lift his face in order to make their eyes exchange a look.

"...But, despite her not being here, I still love Mia. She's my sis and I will always adore her and I'll never stop loving her." She looked down for a moment in deep thought "While I can't deny that there were something's about my sis that drove me crazy, I can most definitely say that she will always be important to me."

Luke looked down in deep thought. Perhaps he was being a tad harsh on his parents, like Maya said. They did make their mistakes and he did not always get along with them but they were still family and he could not hold that against them even if they did basically have a choice.

He could hardly blame his mother for it, she did care about him and always made sure he dressed up warm when he went out into the snow and she always made sure he looked nice when he was going out and she was normally there to pick him up when he fell.

His father was a bit harder to deal with because Luke felt that his father was the one whom mostly forgot about him a lot of the time. But still there were the subtle hints of fatherhood he had picked up, like during the Azran adventure he saw his dad in the museum and he assisted in solving a case that had long since stumped him. He seemed proud then.

Again -it was like Maya said: While there were things about them he found bonkers, he still loved his parents with all his heart.

Feeling a sudden wistfulness take hold, Luke slowly climbed to his feet and travelled towards the balcony sadly with a slight slump in his step and he slouched his shoulders and he gazed up at the stars above with a heavy frown.

The skies were painted a dark indigo while stars dotted the large space hanging overhead, there was even the occasional shooting star that would shoot on by.

Luke shuddered at feeling a cold nip in the air and he stared up at the sky while also getting a good view of the white-blanketed plaza below right along with the rooftops of the buildings in Labriynthia that were also covered in sheets of the freezing cold form of manifested winter water.

Not only that but a strange smell permeated the chilled air, letting the boy know that someone out there was having a special dinner with their family.

He felt envy towards them. He wished to have a good Christmas with his own family but he knew all too well that this wish wasn't supposed to come true, his parents were very busy people after all.

He also noticed that the streets down below were empty as the moonlight was just enough to stand out and light the entire world outside in this thickly-iced crystallised state. It was pretty to look at and it made the boy feel even more jealous of those who had families to spend the good ol' holidays with.

He heaved a breath deep from within his throat, a thick smog blowing from his crystallised lungs as he exhaled, and he began to sing in a soft, little voice that sounded no short of powerful in the snow-packed world outside.

"Where are you Christmas, why can't I find you? Why have you gone away~"

He lowered his gaze to stare down at his feet, feeling quite sad about the song he was singing as it reflected how he currently felt about the holidays. His heart ached and his mind flashed through happier times and memories of his loved ones spending precious Christmases with him.

"Where is the laughter, you used to bring me? Why can't I hear music play~"

He continued to glance down at his feet as he shifted them coldly on the ice that covered the balcony he stood on. He knew that this little song he was singing was sort of cliché but it was the only way he knew how to express such saddened feelings that ate him on the inside.

He couldn't help but wonder if Christmas changed, like caterpillars turning into butterflies? It actually chewed at his ever inquisitive mind as he thought about the spirit of Christmas flowing through the air but there was still that rather depressing matter that nobody in Labriynthia celebrated Christmas properly. Or at all.

They didn't get Santa visiting them, they didn't get chestnuts roasting on an open fire. They didn't get any marshmallows or sugarplums or even candy canes.

That would be enough to make anybody sad during these times.

"My world is changing, I'm rearranging, does that mean Christmas changes too?~"

Luke sighed sadly. Maybe Christmas does change, for the worst. He shuffled his cap on his head, his innocent blue eyes closing shut as he frowned so deeply. His young heart ached and he couldn't help but feel the Christmas songs about family and such come back to haunt him.

He lifted his head at the sound of another voice. His mouth was agape as he looked over his shoulder to find that Maya was singing along with him with a warm smile on her face and she even knelt down beside him with a compassionate look inside her shimmering onyx eyes.

Maya smiled, rubbing Luke's shoulder assuringly "Where are you Christmas, do you remember the one you used to know~"

She and Luke stared down at the empty streets below them. They were illuminated by the moonlight and some of the homes were lighting up the night because of the lanterns hanging on a hook beside the door as if someone was lost and needed to find their way home.

Nether the less, it was very pretty to look at from the height which Luke and Maya gazed down at the city from. It looked like little fireflies glowing through the empty twilight of a Christmas evening, sparking through the empty chilling night air as they floated and vibrated through the daunting evening darkness.

Patting the boy's shoulder, Maya continued to sing "I'm not the same one, see what the times done. Is that why you have let me go~"

Luke looked at Maya with interest. Actually, what she was saying began to finally settle into his noggin. She was right, he had to hold his loved ones close to him or else he may never feel love again. Even if it stings each time he is abandoned by the two beings who had brought him into this world.

He glanced up at the stars with a very faint smile. He couldn't help but feel a little bit of warmth raidiate from deep within his heart, feeling an overwhelming joy spread through his entire consciousness.

Maya picked Luke up and sat him down on her shoulder as they could get a better view of the world outside as everything slowly began to sparkle from the snow and the light that would light up the world in a gentle radiance and grace.

"Christmas is here Everywhere, oh Christmas is here If you care~"

The two assistants began to sing in harmony as they looked up to the skies again but this time to find that small specks of snow were starting to fall, beginning to cover the ground in more snow during this late hour of the evening.

"If there is love in your heart and your mind, You will feel like Christmas all the time...!"

"I feel you, Christmas, I know I've found you! You never fade away, The joy of Christmas stays here inside us. Fills each and every heart with love!"

Both Maya and Luke began to mellow down their song a little as they took in their peaceful surroundings. Now they felt better about their misgivings because they were getting their Christmas spirit back on track, especially now that they were going to have to fill everyone in Labriynthia up with the same feeling that lit their hearts aglow.

"Where are you Christmas?  
>Fills your heart with love~"<p>

They stared out into the open world for awhile, not saying a word as they just looked out into the unsuspecting world out there. Those little flecks of snow rained from the skies above and drifted down to the ground with such grace and beauty.

However, a sudden yawn coming from right next to her brought Maya from her deep thought and she looked to her shoulder to see Luke rubbing at his eyes tiredly. He seemed exhausted and who could blame him, he had been through a big day after all.

Maya laughed softly "Luke, are you tired?" She asked.

Luke, caught off guard by the question, blinked his eyes and shook his head "No, I'm not! I was just...erm..." He thought for a good excuse "stretching my jaw down?"

Maya gave Luke a look. That was sort of a horrible cover up and she wasn't really buying it. She gave him a look that said "yeah, right" before she carried the Professor's apprentice back inside and decided to stay with him awhile until he eventually went to sleep. She couldn't stand to leave the boy alone on his own after that temper blow up earlier, even if it couldn't be helped.

The spirit medium lain Luke down on a bed nearby and told him with an excited edge in her voice "You'd better get some sleep Luke, tomorrow we'll be spreading the Christmas cheer."

Luke nodded even though he had already drifted off by the time she was halfway through her sentence. He was excited about helping everyone in Labriynthia get into the holiday season but he couldn't help but know that he needed to rest up before doing a strenuous a task as that.

He didn't even recall going to sleep but he blanked out very quick and was out like a light.

Maya removed Luke's cap and placed it on the bedside so he could retrieve it once he awoken the next morning. She sighed as she remembered her sister and couldn't help but look out into the open evening skies and think of all the times she and Mia spent together before she had been murdered.

She frowned in reminiscence "...G'night, sis."

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><p><strong>AN: Awww, Maya and Luke share a nice little musical number.**

**And Maya also recalls her sister, Mia, and connects with the Professor's apprentice in a nice way. Let's see what the professor and Phoenix are doing while this nice moment had taken place, shall we? **

**In a few chapters we will see what Luke, Maya, Phoenix and Professor Layton will do to brighten everyone up into the Christmas spirit.**

**The song is "Where are you Christmas". I personally like the O-Nightcore version with this chapter so listen to that if you want.**

**Please review.**

**-Chloemcg **


	6. Quiet conversations

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Phoenix wright since they belong to Capcom. I don't own the Professor Layton characters either since they belong to Level 5 games. I do own the idea, though, since nobody else had put an idea on fanfiction yet.**

**Carols of the bells in Labyrinthia.**

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><p>Professor Layton sat at the black piano with a smirk, his flexible fingers expertly pressing each key to allow it to blurt out a beautiful note so he could play a beautiful melody on the shiny black instrument.<p>

The top-hat-wearing gentleman felt right at home as he played the piano, allowing the song he played to flow through the air and spread an airtight merriness around the entire town even though it was only enough to fill the whole Bakery. He even murmured some of the lyrics to the song he played as he bounced eagerly on the black mahogany stool that was seated right by the piano.

As he played, the professor glanced over his shoulder to stare at a certain attorney at law and he smiled as he told the man with a very refined tone "Now, Mr. Wright, I do not suppose you have been one to play a music instrument?"

Phoenix sighed and huddled in his blankets, his chin burying further into his caving knees as they touched his chest to make himself roll into a ball. His fever had gone down quite a bit now since he had been sitting in front of the fire and didn't dare wish to abandon the amber warmth of the flames before him, even if they did fill him with a strange sense of dread.

He ignored the feeling of negative nostalgia and lifted his eyes over his shoulder to peak at the top-hat-wearing gent playing the piano with such expertise.

"Umm...no offence, professor, but I don't really see the point in playing music instruments."

The professor was now intrigued. He continued to play yet he turned around slightly on the stool to face the attorney wearing the blue suit "Oh? What makes you think that, my good man?"

Phoenix shrugged lazily in response. He wrapped himself further in his self-made caccoon bundle and he snuggled inside it with his head poking out from the ball of warm material and a contented smile tugged at the corners of his thinned lips when the warmth radiating from within began to settle and make his insides warm as he sniffed.

Honestly, he just didn't like music all that much. Sure, he would put on the radio and sing along to a few songs playing on the station but other than that nothing caught his interest when it came to music or symphonies or anything like that. Besides it is usually the musical stars who get killed.

"Meh, I dunno. I just don't like playing instruments all that much." Phoenix gave a slight cough which was either from the cold he suffered or from out of the fact that he wanted to change the subject. He quirked a wiry brow at the gentleman, an inquisitive look plastering on his face "How do you know how to play the piano so well anyway, Professor Layton?"

The top hatted puzzle enthusiast simply chuckled lightly with a shake of the head. He saw that question coming, oddly enough, and he couldn't just not answer any question tossed his way. He gave his nose a tap and smiled cryptically as he winked one of his little dark eyes, a sudden feeling of reminiscence overflowing through his calm and gentlemanly mind.

One hand playing the keys in a steady yet jazzy tune, the professor gave Phoenix a random hand gesture "A gentleman always strives to be a man of refined tastes, Mr. Wright, you should know that about me."

Phoenix sighed through his nose. That was a fair point, actually. The professor was the macgyver of puzzle solving and everything posh so really hearing that response shouldn't come as any sort of surprise. However a sudden shiver shook his world and his head throbbed in pain, a sudden drumming pounding against his skull in a heartbeat-like ring inside his head.

He gave a cough that was accompanied by a cringe-worthy sound of a rattling rib cage and his head dropped on to his lap.

Concerned about his friend, Professor Layton tilted his head to one side and he frowned softly as he abandoned his piano playing and went to go and see if the american lawyer was alright.

"Mr. Wright, I think you should have some medicine." Layton suggested as he knelt down beside the blanketed Phoenix Wright and he patted his shoulder warmly in an attempt to bring his spirits up. He reached into the man's pocket when he got a hand inside the blankets and pulled out a little container filled with tiny white pills and it had a red lid and a label on the front that had a large X penned on the front in red.

When the gent got a hold of the container, he examined it for a moment or two before he showed it to Phoenix and he looked at him with a simple look.

He asked the spiky-haired ace attorney "Is this your cold medicine?"

Phoenix nodded sullenly, his eyes drooping closed as he sniffled again. Clearly the poor man was in the clutches of a dreadful cold that would probably give his immune system quite a whack and he felt so horrible that his nose suddenly decided to tickle on the inside to bring on an all too familiar sensation.

Oh no, not this again!

"Ah...Ah...Ahhhhhh...!" Phoenix panicked as a huge sneeze began to build up inside his sinuses and, out of pure desperation of wanting to stop the sneeze, he brought his hand over his nose and sneezed into his hand "ACHOO!"

He opened his eyes slowly and very reluctantly pulled his hand away from his mouth and nose but that turned out to be a horrible choice in the first place as when he did pull his hand away, there were a few long strings of drippy snot coming from his upper lip and sticking like wet glue to his hand.

Professor Layton couldn't deny that seeing that was disgusting and he made a disgusted face upon seeing the fact that the attorney's hand was covered in a thick layer of nasal mucus. He didn't have the heart to chide the man, though, so he brought out a handkerchief from inside his sleeve and he handed it to Phoenix before he could wipe his hand on his own trousers.

"Bless you." Professor Layton sighed as Phoenix wiped his hand with the tissue and blew his nose into it.

The gentleman tipped his top hat curtly when he stood up, the bottle of Cold killer X in his hand, and he left Phoenix in front of the bread oven where he continued to try and stay warm beneath the fire.

Phoenix moaned sadly as he closed his eyes and tried to have a little quiet to himself and he buried his mouth inside the blankets. He felt so sore in the head, maybe he should have brought an aspirin with him because then his head may not have been pounding so much like someone was banging his head like the drum in a marching band.

He even subconsciously hummed a small melody that popped into his head out of nowhere and his voice went everywhere as he tried to sing as quietly as he could without aggravating his headache any further. He was left alone for a minute or so, he couldn't care for the exact details of how long it had been, and he opened his deep blue eyes again when he heard the footsteps of the professor come from behind him and he sniffed again.

"I...I'm sorry, professor." Phoenix mumbled.

The professor seemed startled but only because that Phoenix knew he was there but also for the needless and out-of-nowhere apology. He carried a small saucer in one hand, balancing a small teacup atop it, while in the other he still held the Cold killer X that he had left the room with minutes ago.

Professor Layton stuttered in surprise after a moment of silence "W-Whatever for, Mr. Wright?"

Phoenix sighed. This had been nibbling at his mind since earlier and he couldn't ignore the guilt, it had buried in his conscience for almost two hours now and it was not a good feeling when you know you have upset a young boy inadvertently. His head drooped and his gaze fell to the floor and away from the gentleman behind him.

If he had been standing he would have scuffled his foot and kicked at the ground as if it were a better thing to look at.

"I'm sorry for upsetting Luke, I didn't-" Phoenix was silenced when he was met by the kind, smiling face of the Professor. He was shocked because that face seemed so friendly and also it was laced with the compassion he always had whenever he wished to help a friend in need and that glint in his eyes was very assuring.

The professor put the plate and steaming hot tea aside and he patted what he assumed was Phoenix's tense shoulder underneath the thickening mass of blankets wrapped around his body.

"Don't be silly, Phoenix Wright, I doubt that Luke is even angry at you. I am most certainly not angry at least!" He gave a wholehearted grin of confidence "Luke is just a bit, as Ms. Fey and yourself would put it, "touchy" about the subject of his parents."

The two men sat before the fire inside the oven and both watched the flames crackle, squirm and writhe against the shadowed silhouettes of the loaves roasting inside the darkened oven. Neither of them spoke a word as they took in the peaceful winter night atmosphere brought on by their heart-to-heart chat.

They sat leisurely before the ambience of the flickering flames rising up in the bread oven and even felt themselves relax against the orange glow of warmth.

Phoenix smiled a bit "Y'know, professor, Luke is a great kid. You must be proud of him..."

Professor Layton nodded and he gave a hum of agreement. He had to admit that his apprentice was an amazing young boy who took so much pride in his current occupation and he never really complained about much...except when Emmy, his former assistant, would tease him to the moon and back.

He smiled happily "I most definitely am proud."

After another few moments of awkward silence, the archeologist and lawyer both sat on the floor in front of the fire but eventually the professor recalled the tea cup and medicine he wanted to give the man seated beside him.

Professor Layton picked up the saucer and the teacup resting on it and he handed two of those white pills to Phoenix who cringed upon seeing those tasteless little things.

Seeing the attorney's hesitation, the professor reasoned with a furrowed brow "...Mr. Wright, you will feel much better if you swallow those tablets. I even made you some tea for it to go down the hatch."

Phoenix shot the gentleman a sour look even though there was a hint of joking in his voice and he knitted his brows together "Again, no offence, professor, but the last time you made me tea I had some water problems."

The professor gave the attorney a persistent glare. He looked a lot like a father would when they were scolding their child for being defiant and not doing what their told. He wanted the guy to swallow the medicine so he could get infinitely better from this cold he had. He had a look that basically demanded him to have the medicine and dared him to argue against it.

So, frightened, Phoenix chucked the pills into his mouth and gulped down the tea. He didn't want to anger a gentleman and he had a feeling that a stern professor would be the least of his worries. He sipped and swallowed the tea, finally chugging it down until it hit his stomach and he even felt a bit sleepy after that.

Professor Layton smiled in satisfaction and he kept the cold-ridden attorney sitting up by propping him against his shoulder. Phoenix suddenly looked completely wiped out and exhausted, even a bit listless as he had trouble keeping his head up straight as he fought the urge to crane his neck down.

Phoenix's head wobbled and swayed from side to side, much like a pendulum for hypnosis, and his eyes became really heavy. He didn't say anything for a minute until he said through a strained, slurred voice that sounded rattled and hushed "...I think I'll hit the hay now."

And with that said, Phoenix slowly stood up with the multitude of blankets wrapped all around him and he made his way up the stairs. Each step he made was loud and hallow as he sluggishly climbed the staircase, leaning heavily against the banister for support, and he stomped into the guest bedroom.

The professor was now left alone as he sat in front of the oven with a satisfied grin. He couldn't lie, that actually made him feel better now that Mr. Wright will have been well-rested for the big day tomorrow and now he was going to be all merry and bright when he awakes in the morning.

Professor Layton opened his eyes when he felt a gentle brushing against his side and he looked down to see what it was. He smiled upon seeing a black cat with emerald eyes that wore a purple and magenta scarf around its neck that made the feline look quite precious even when it meshed against the dark veil of night.

He knew who this was.

"Ah, hello Eve." The professor greeted warmly, gathering the cat in his arms before plopping her down on his welcoming lap. Eve curled up in the top hatted gentleman's lap while letting out long purrs of contentment as a tan hand ran along her back in a feather-light set of strokes.

Professor Layton just sat there in front of the oven while pampering the little black cat, the both of them snuggling up in the warmth of the flames lit for winter.

He smiled down at the happy little cat "You do realise that we have quite a busy day on the horizon, don't you?"

Eve gave a gentle mewl in response and she even licked her paw to clean herself, her sand paper tongue looking cute as it slipped along her black-furred foreleg. Her tail even batted around through the air and she resumed purring.

The gentleman and the little black cat sat in silence, lamenting on what was going to be happening in the following day and wondering on how everything was going to play out during this little "merry mission".

That was until the professor offered in a joyous tone "Well, Eve, as we have some time to spare before bedtime shall I play some music?"

"Mew!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hi, guys! Sorry about the wait, I'm just a bit unwell right now and it's not fun. Well really my face hurts and it sucks but I'm fine otherwise. **

**Aww, poor Phoenix. At least he may feel a bit better in the next chapter and let's see what other Christmassy stuff happens because I'm excited about it. We shall see what shenanigans Phoenix, Maya, Luke, Espella, Darklaw, Barnham and professor Layton get up to.**

**Please review!**

**-Chloemcg**


	7. An organised gentleman

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Phoenix wright since they belong to Capcom. I don't own the Professor Layton characters either since they belong to Level 5 games. I do own the idea, though, since nobody else had put an idea on fanfiction yet.**

**Carols of the bells in Labyrinthia.**

* * *

><p>"Professor, professor, wake up, wake up, wake up!" A young voice shouted directly in poor Professor Layton's ear kanal, startling the poor professor of archeology awake as he snapped his sleepy eyes open at the shrill shouts in his ear and making him tumble out of bed from the shock of having such a noise arouse him from his heavenly slumber.<p>

The professor was also startled by the fact that the owner of that little voice, Luke, was apparently on his bed and bouncing enthusiastically on his chest in a very effective attempt at trying to awake him from the sleep he had been so deep in before all this had transpired.

Professor Layton fell out of bed, tumbling to the floor below, and he landed with a heavy "thud" and he just lain there with the blankets of the bed wrapped all around his body as he tried to register what was happening.

He groaned and mumbled tiredly, trying to blink the sleep out of his eyes. The gentleman should have expected such an awakening from a young boy such as his apprentice whom had a special place in his heart for Christmas...or at least the days before Christmas. So, with a foggy mind, he gazed wearily at his surroundings and noticed several things about his environment.

He was currently in a nice bedroom that had mahogany wooden floorboards below, there was a massive bed that was utterly comfortable for the aching back should one need a lay down on the velvet-soft mattress, there were white veil curtains covering the windows and blocking the outside world quite effectively.

Some shreds of daylight had made themselves known through the curtains and a slight breeze had flowed into the bedroom and made a very faint chill swim through the already frosty air, a telling sign that nighttime was over with, and there was also the very distinctive smell of bread and pastry wafting through the currents and reaching the gentleman's nostrils and thus making him suddenly a bit peckish.

Groaning tiredly, Professor Layton sat up with the blankets still tangled around his legs and he worked to get them untangled as he gently scolded his apprentice with a small grin and he pointed a teasing finger at the lad.

"Now, Luke," He began with a gentle voice that was strained with sleepiness "I realise that you are excited but a gentleman needs his sleep."

Luke hung his head a bit and his bottom lip trembled apologetically. He didn't mean to be rude by waking his mentor up in such a shocking way but he was just so excited about what both them and a certain court room duo were going to be doing this cold winters day. He scuffled his foot on the floor in shame as his gaze looked down upon it as if it were a way better thing to look at then the look the professor was giving him.

The young boy paused for a moment before sighing "I'm sorry, professor, I didn't mean-"

Professor Layton, smiling a kind and gentle smile, reached upwards and tilted Luke's face down so both of their eyes could meet and he told him "Luke, do not be sorry. You are just excited and I cannot hold that against you."

Luke didn't really feel any better, he couldn't evade the guilt that pursued him with a relentless streak. If it weren't for the Professor then that guilt would have already festered inside him, breeding with a malicious intent and multiplying like the insect of a feeling it was.

After a long silence, Professor Layton reached up again and removed his top hat off the nightstand so he could place it upon his head and he slowly rose up to his feet yet he was careful to unravel his legs from the thick blankets bundled around him. He didn't want to trip, that would have been humiliating! He climbed to his legs and he gave a massive stretch of his legs and arms to refresh his body and he yawned sleepily.

His mind was in a slight daze and he couldn't deny that he, indeed, felt like a log.

The top hatted gentleman walked out of the room, with Luke in tow, and proceeded to go down the stairs where the warm and saliva-inducing stench originated from.

He dragged himself off the floor as he tiredly sagged out the door, the poor professor appearing to have been exhausted into some kind of stupor that should hopefully wear off after he had put something into his stomach.

Professor Layton slowly stepped down the stairs, his posture becoming recumbent the more time he spent awake and he even managed to stretch his arms up into the air, whilst giving a long moan-like yawn, and the air bubbles tightening his muscles made a loud "crackle" of a sound and therefore made the gent's arms more loose and flexible.

He was greeted by the warm sight of Phoenix (who looked way better than the night previously), Maya, Espella, Barnham, Ms. Belduke, Ms. Eclaire, Constantine and even Eve sat at the table whilst downing their breakfasts with two seats empty.

The professor smiled a warm yet sleepy smile as he saw this.

Phoenix looked a lot better than last night and he looked to have been back to normal, although he still seemed a tiny bit off health-wise. However he didn't seem very bothered by it as he took some little nibbles out of some walnut bread that had been bestowed on a plate right in front of him.

Maya was also tucking into her pastry-based breakfast (with great enthusiasm) as she took some big bites out of the nutty bread that had been given to her, being her eternally hungry, spirit medium self and each time she took a mouthful of the soft bread and pulled a tiny chunk of the pastry out from it.

Zacharias and Eve Belduke both also tucked into their morning meals with Espella sat cozily in between them and they ate in a slight awkward silence.

Even the pets both ate in silence as they ate to their hearts content.

Constantine gnawed his little jaws against a bone, the pads of his little white paws pressing down upon the ligament to keep his jaws constantly biting down on the scratchy little remains of whatever carcus he may or may not have been stuffing his puppy mouth with.

Eve just laid down in front of her little food dish as her little sand paper tongue constantly dipped into the cream repeatedly. Of course the feline would lick her little kitty lips every once in awhile but other than that her little licks of the milky broth that filled the saucer were very repetitive and relentless in slowing down to a halt anytime soon.

Professor Layton smirked, forgetting about his exhaustion, and both himself and his apprentice hurried down the stairs so they too could have their first meals of the day.

"Good morning, everyone!" The Professor greeted light-heartedly as he wandered towards everyone and took a seat among them. Luke joined him.

Everyone even returned the morning greeting quite happily as they continued having their bread, enjoying the warmth they had and savouring each crunchy bite of the pastry they had been given.

Professor Layton had a feeling that lots of stuff was going to be happening today and he was rather keen to get started as he got down to chatting about what was going to be happening to Espella, Eve, Phoenix, Maya and Barnham.

* * *

><p>Everyone stepped into the winter wonderland outside and instantly felt the cold touch their skin as the chillingly cold air shoved passed the defence of their thick layers of winter clothing that had covered them practically from head to toe.<p>

The entire town had been sheeted with a blanket of snow and the town was mostly void of citizens except for a few children here and there just standing there blankly with their gazes fixed upwards to watch the snowflakes. They had very bored frowns on their faces and it was rather painful to watch.

It must have been like watching paint dry.

So, curious to see what the children were doing, Luke decided to approach them as he wore a red wooly scarf that brushed against the wind and the tails sifted against the wind currents. He approached the siblings Petal and Cecil who both were currently outdoors but they looked bored out of their skulls.

Luke, being a bit taller than the younger children, knelt down before the two and smiled softly at them "Hello, guys, what's up?"

Cecil sniffed. Nobody could be sure if it was from the cold or from the fact that he looked very teary-eyed and wanted to cry. He hugged his sister for support but only for her to shrug him off of her and make him fall down as he stared confusedly back up at Luke.

"W-Well, we had been bad and our parents cast us out o' the house." He said, looking down shamefully.

It was then that Petal decided to cut in as she glared at Cecil with a scorn so deep that it would etch deeply into burning chars of wood. She turned her back to the blonde-haired boy with her podgy arms crossed across her chest "It was _your _fault we got in trouble in the first place!"

Cecil was taken aback. He seemed rightfully shocked that he would hear such bitter words come forth from of the mouth of his own sister and he seemed pretty saddened by that as he looked down and scuffled his foot, not saying a word.

Watching the scene, professor Layton and Phoenix looked to Barnham and Espella for assistance on the matter. They were confused that two children would be forced from their home at this cold morning and without adequate clothing, no less!

Barnham decided to explain in a somber tone of voice "Ah yes, when children misbehave their parents tend to banish them outside until they had learnt their lesson."

Professor Layton and Phoenix looked at each other, looks of disbelief falling on their expressions as they had the exact same feelings on this. That sounded like a rather harsh way of punishing disobedient children and it actually made them feel bad for the children who have been misbehaving.

Nobody deserved to be tossed out in these climates and conditions!

The professor of archeology and spiky-haired ace attorney said nothing but, very slowly, they each gave a secretive grin that signalled that the very same idea had surfaced inside their minds.

They wore very identical looks of determination as they both gave each other a single nod and both of them looked back towards Luke whom only glanced at the two with utter confusion as they just remained characteristically vague.

"Hmmm," Professor Layton cupped his chin in one hand before he snapped a finger "I believe a solution to this has appeared!"

With his usual smirk and trademark point, the top hatted puzzle-enthusiast divided the team into three groups and gave them their set of jobs.

"Espella and Eve! you go and gather some little pieces of bread for the bakery," Espella and Eve the cat both gave their own signs of agreement to this, showing no signs of objecting.

The professor moved on to point at Luke and Phoenix "Mr. Wright and Luke, you go and gather anything resembling a reindeer." Phoenix and Luke both nodded in agreement and accepted their given task.

Next the finger was directed at Zacharias and Eve Belduke "Mr. Barnham and Ms. Belduke, you both go and find some tools and maybe a builder to construct us a fence." The two former inquisitors both blushed profusely at the fact that they were once again being forced to team up together, they found it somewhat embarrassing in all honesty.

Finally professor Layton pointed to both himself and Maya "And Maya and myself shall go and try and coax some of the townsfolk out of hiding whilst decorating the town in the process."

Everyone nodded. Now they knew what to do and were now split into two teams, a good thing indeed!

However a sudden high pitched whine caught everyone's attention and they found a very sad-looking puppy Constantine sat on the snow whilst looking just about ready to cry. Everyone suddenly realised that they forgot about the poor little dog! Constantine lifted a paw up to make himself look cute and he gave everyone huge eyes, his muzzle formed into a saddened frown and his little tail was tucked between his back legs.

Now everyone felt guilty about forgetting the poor ball of white fluff...

"Constantine can join us if he wants to." Luke offered after moments of a long silence, smiling kindly at the pup. Despite Luke wanting to include the poor little puppy Phoenix was silently making hand-slicing-across-neck hand motions as if to silently beg the boy not to allow the feisty little Brischon puppy on their team.

Phoenix wasn't entirely comfortable being around the pup for obvious reasons, mainly those reasons pointing to the fact that Constantine often saw the attorney as a blue chew toy, and he greatly disliked the canine for that.

Although that glassy-eyed look Constantine was sending Phoenix was a very tempting look that he couldn't ignore no matter how much he tried. The pup whimpered some more, begging them to let him in on the action, and everyone stared at the attorney expectantly as if they waited for him to crack under the pressure.

Reluctantly Phoenix had to admit defeat and he sighed in aggravation. Throwing his hands up in the air, the attorney finally said "...Oh, alright, the devil puppy may come."

Hearing this, Constantine's little tail wagged happily and he barked. He had a very happy expression on his little face and his black nose even sniffled in rejoice as he spun round and round to express his glee for the consent of the "blue knight".

Satisfied, professor Layton grinned as he ran off in one direction with Maya "Alright everyone, meet back here in two hours!"

And with that said, everyone took off in opposite directions and went to complete their tasks but little were they aware that they were going to run into a few familiar characters and maybe even bump into a few problems on the way.

They had no idea what to expect.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yay, things are finally getting underway! **

**Don't worry, you WILL see some more hints of "Barnduke" soon. That is why I paired both Eve (Belduke) and Barnham together. It's really confusing when there are TWO Eve's in one game! **

**Seriously, if there was a trailer for this then it would probably go: One Ace attorney, one awesome Professor of puzzles, three assistants and two Eves! **

**Let's see what happens next then, shall we? **

**Please review.**

**-Chloemcg**


	8. Phoenix vs ice skating

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Phoenix wright since they belong to Capcom. I don't own the Professor Layton characters either since they belong to Level 5 games. I do own the idea, though, since nobody else had put an idea on fanfiction yet.**

**Carols of the bells in Labyrinthia.**

* * *

><p>Phoenix and Luke both walked in the snow, the two of them glancing down on occasion at the little puppy trotting alongside them merrily with a wag in his curled tail.<p>

The tiny white bundle yipped, his little legs bounding across the snow as he frolicked against the Snow White substance covering the ground beneath in a pillowy-white mush that sparkled and twinkled enchantedly. His floppy ears even swung with each tiny bounce he made to avoid falling into the snow beneath him. If he wasn't so cheerful, it wouldn't be hard to imagine that this sweet little puppy could even be so horrible as Phoenix imagined.

The Ace attorney couldn't help but constantly be on the defensive, there was no way he was going to allow himself to be used as a giant blue chew toy again.

Luke, Phoenix and Constantine stayed quiet for a moment or so until Luke piped up happily as he joyfully ran in front of the lawyer and the former knighted pup whilst walking backwards with his arms swinging on either sides of his body.

"So, Mr. Wright, what do you think we're going to find reindeer-wise?" The Professor's apprentice asked in a merry little tone. He had a keen spring in his step as he hopped through prints in the snow as if he were playing a little game of hop scotch while he was trying to avoid burning hot coals. His eyes were constantly downcast and he wore a cute little grin on his face.

Phoenix smiled too while he looked down at Luke softly, trudging through the snow as if it were nothing but thick cream. He could hear those crunches the snow made beneath each and every step he had made but he ignored them and focused on the joyful young lad in front of him who was currently walking backwards in front of him.

The spiky-haired attorney fumbled with the tails of his scarf, tugging them anxiously, before he replied "I dunno, Luke, I think we should just stick with our j-" Phoenix was cut from his sentence when he suddenly felt one of his legs zip forwards beneath him, catching him off guard as he bit his bottom lip to prevent himself from falling on his behind. He looked down to see what was the matter with the ground but was horrified when he discovered he was on thin ice. Literally.

Completely scared by this revelation, he went sliding down the icy river rapidly while howling the end of that very sentence "OOOOOOOOOOOOoooob!"

Luke giggled in amusement upon seeing the attorney at law slipping so far upon the horizon. He couldn't help but laugh as he found the very notion of Phoenix Wright ice skating hilarious...however then he remembered that Phoenix could become injured by this and gathered up Constantine into his arms, adjusting the pup in his hold, and ran after the lawyer in blue.

"H-Hold on, Mr. Wright, I'm coming!" He yelled after him while running.

Meanwhile, Phoenix screamed as he tried to stop himself from slipping into oblivion...or into a building or even a tree. He held his arms out to the side to try and catch something that would probably give him some more control but he didn't slip upon such luck so far.

His eyes were wide and filled with swirling whirlpools of terror as he stared at nothing but what was in front of him. He could feel his heart pound in his throat and it wasn't a very nice feeling, he just wished that he was in his bed and wearing a blanket while sipping on a football mug filled with hot chocolate...with squirty cream and little marshmellows.

He had to admit, the image was nice but he wasn't too horribly focused on that right now; He was just a bit too focused on what was _in front _of him!

He didn't know it but luckily he instinctively wrapped his digits around something hard and round in shape, like a metal pipe, and he round that his body had stopped and he instantly wrapped his arms around the pipe as if it were his lifeline. However he was gawking at someone who just happened to have been leisurely slicing through the air whilst skating gracefully across the ice in a top-hat-wearing vision of brown and orange. His jaw dropped to the floor and his eyes shot open so wide that he was sure that they could just bounce out of his eye sockets at anytime now.

"P-Professor!?" Phoenix exclaimed, flabbergasted to see the archeologist gentleman so soon after separating. He kept his hold on the pipe tight whilst his feet slipped unsteadily on the ice.

The Professor, expertly twirling himself around so he was skating backwards, tipped his hat at Phoenix with a cheery smirk that seemed somewhat boastful. He chuckled lightly and winked his eye at the lawyer as he returned the greeting joyfully.

"Why hello, Mr. Wright!"

Phoenix watched with a flat face as the Professor skated off into the distance without any regards for the fact that he was hanging on for dear life to a pipe that was attached to a building. He glared chillingly enough to rival even Edgeworth's poisonous sneer and he muttered one word beneath his breath:

"...Showoff."

Why did Professor Layton have to be so cool at everything, even if it was his first time? He actually made a very good prosecutor even though he was doing the gig for the first time, actually putting Phoenix to shame in that very same trial! He couldn't deny that this made him feel seriously jealous of the top hatted gent and for more reasons then one.

But, to make matters worse, Maya was skating too with expertly performed acrobatic moves and spins as she too twirled backwards to say "hi" to her 'assistant' and she smirked tauntingly as she furrowed one brow and raised the other in utter blank confusion. This actually rubbed salt into the wound and he was now rendered mostly speechless. His heart was now skipping a beat every three seconds he was so shocked.

"Maya! What are you and the Professor doing!? You were supposed to gather people out from their homes!"

He yelled, his eyes trailing Maya's every overblown move as she jumped and landed on one foot while she slid across the ice.

Seriously, Maya too? Since when did she become so awesome!? ...Wait, he wasn't going to answer that. But still! How come Maya was skating for the first time and still doing utterly awesome at it, this had to have been a feat by miraculous value...performed by a dude in a brown jacket and a matching top hat that made him look stunningly awesome.

He had to get some lessons too!

The spirit medium smirked in a very smug way as she glared at Phoenix and she shrugged "We did."

And then the impossible happened:

Basically everyone from Labriynthia, excluding some minor characters, were flooding across the way and actually making Phoenix's heart stop. His mouth was now hanging open so wide that his tongue might as well roll out like the red carpet and fall to the floor below. His eyes were now bowling balls and his skin was now so pale it matched the colouration of the snow surrounding him and he even stopped slipping he was so stunned.

No words could describe how shocked he was at the moment.

He couldn't top that, Professor Hershel Layton had just gathered everyone here and got them twirling some parade staffs whilst holding some actual Christmas banners within the time span of 10 minutes...

All he could say to that is: wow.

Maya read her friend's expression of utter disbelief like an open book and she replied to the question undoubtedly hanging in big bold letters inside his mind "The Professor's _really _persuasive."

Phoenix shut his mouth and said absolutely nothing. He loosened his grip on the pipe he had been holding on to and a massive lump which was bigger than a grapefruit was now obstructing his trachea, preventing him from speaking a single word. He barely noticed Professor Layton's huge yet quickly-assembled parade go by and when they did, he felt like he couldn't be humiliated much more...

Oh, how wrong he was.

He felt a very familiar tickling in his olfactory receptors. He recognised this feeling immediately and he felt dread overcome him.

"Ohh...no...ACHOO!" He gave a small sneeze and thus surprising him into releasing the pole and slipping so he fell flat on his behind. He gave an outright humiliated glare when this happened and he narrowed his eyes into tight slits so his face could be clothed in the coldest look imaginable.

He sat there on the ice that was apparently not so thin at all. He could look through the ice and see the silhouettes of little fishes swimming through the ice cold currents below. It was fair to say that the lawyer in blue was feeling very flat, like a balloon had bested his own balloon and made it pop in thin air, and he was feeling a rage that would have been enough to melt the ice beneath him.

"Mr. Wright!" Luke's voice carried across the wind and the fact that the crunching of the snow was getting increasingly loud gave away the fact that he was running a mile a minute and was coming closer.

The young gentleman-in-training skidded to a halt beside Phoenix, Constantine still bundled in his arms, and he rasped through heavy pants "M...Mist...er...Wr...Wright...Are...Are you...A-Alright?"

Phoenix groaned from the humiliation and prepared to stand on his own two feet but only ended up slipping again. He couldn't even use the pipe for support since the pipe too was covered in ice, it turned out, making him wonder how he was able to hold on in the first place, and always ended up with his palm sticking to the frigid metal bar sticking to the house.

He didn't bother trying to get up as he assured the young lad, surprising himself by managing to understand what Luke was saying "My pride has been pummelled into nothing, my ego has deflated like a parade float, I feel an insane amount of inferiority towards myself and I feel like another case of the cold is coming on."

Luke smiled sympathetically at the adult with the black and spiky hair whilst Constantine smirked devilishly at the man's suffering, undoubtedly cackling evilly inside the depths of his allegedly innocent puppy mind at seeing the "blue knight" suffering so much.

Sighing deftly, Phoenix used the wall he leaned against to prop himself up into a standing up position. Frowning with a depressing edge Phoenix lumbered towards the way both himself and Luke came and they wandered towards the courthouse woodlands. The lawyer, the Professor's apprentice and the cheeky little puppy all walked off into the distance.

As they walked off into the trees afar, Luke asked "Mr. Wright, have you seen Mr. Barnham and Mrs. Belduke?"

Phoenix made a noise to imply that he didn't know and they vanished into some of the dark oak trees that adorned these parts of Labyrinthia, into the now renovated place where Eldwitch woods used to be in hopes of finding some deer like they had hoped...

And were supposed to in the first place.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Aww, poor Phoenix. His pride had just been blown once again... :) **

**I loved every second of writing this chapter and I hope you liked it too. We shall see how Barnham and Belduke are doing next and we may even have a small Christmas carol from the man wearing the top hat himself! **

**I can't wait to write more! **

**Just so you know, as Christmas approaches I'll try and update this more frequently to get this finished on time for Christmas Day. We only have a bit of a month left! **

**Please review and like, guys! **

**-Chloemcg**


	9. Girl dilemmas

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Phoenix wright since they belong to Capcom. I don't own the Professor Layton characters either since they belong to Level 5 games. I do own the idea, though, since nobody else had put an idea on fanfiction yet.**

**Carols of the bells in Labyrinthia.**

* * *

><p>Silence...that's all that filled the air between Barnham and Eve Belduke as they walked quietly through the icy cold snow.<p>

Zacharias carried the building tools neccesary for the task the top hatted Professor Layton had asked for, on his own insistence as he knew that no lady should be tasked with carrying such heavy working materials or else they could hurt themselves. He didn't want to see Ms. Belduke hurt herself while she done such menial tasks.

The former inquisitors wandered through the quiet woodlands without uttering a single word to each other and didn't speak a single word to break the silence they tried to hard to keep, especially Barnham, whom was really beginning to dislike these warm and fuzzy feelings that would curl itself around his eternal organs and give them a strange cuddle each time he even saw the young lady.

But, of course, Eve did insist that she carry something and that was the blueprints loaned to them by the nearby carpenter who lived in a small hut inside the woodlands in the middle of a woodland clearing.

Nice compromise but it still felt one-sided, as if Barnham was unfairly carrying all the extra stuff.

So, after a bit more of this intolerable silence, the woman finally decided to shatter it by asking him "So, Barnham, I notice that you have been dreadfully quiet since earlier," She glanced at him awkwardly "what is on your mind?"

Barnham didn't say a word to respond. He simply looked as if he was lost in his own little world as he looked downwards to the ground below. He couldn't help but feel a light blush creep on his tan cheeks and he worriedly scratched at his red-orange, long, spiky hair. He was still feeling some sort of..."emotions" towards Ms. Belduke and he couldn't help but think of her as the most beautiful woman on the face of the planet.

It was bizarre: when she was high inquisitor he only respected her as someone with higher authority than he. But now, his true feelings towards her have deepened into something much more. He couldn't even hope to grasp the concept of this change of emotional depth towards Mrs. Belduke.

Eventually, however, he shrugged his shoulders loosely.

"I know not of what you speak, m'lady." He said, speaking with some of his old medieval grammar as he leisurely walked beside the former high inquisitor. He was apparently trying to flirt with her and he preyed silently that he could avoid saying something that may or may not offend her.

Eve, not buying his obvious denial, simply rolled her eyes and smirked when an idea came to mind in order to manipulate him into not only letting her carry the items but also telling her what was bothering her.

She sauntered right in front of him, making Barnham stop dead in his tracks, and she very slowly walked around him in a circle. She winked her eye as she made sure that Barnham was watching her every move. She studied the hopelessly confused expression on Barnham's face as she wandered around to his left side and stroked the man's shoulder plate.

Eve soon had the man right where she wanted him and she whispered in his ear, her words like hissing in his eardrum "Now, now, Barnham, surely you cannot lie to me. I know all too well that there is something troubling you."

Barnham gulped, finding it increasingly difficult to hide anything from her.

He stammered and tripped on his own words as he tried to make up an excuse but something he never meant somehow managed to pass through his lips "Y-You miserable temptress! That is the worst foulness anyone can pull off and that is saying a load after the destruction you caused!"

And just like that, the whole world stopped dead.

An expression of hurt stuck on Eve's face as her flirtatious smile fell into a pool of despair and her teal eyes looked like those of a slapped puppy. She looked so wounded and hurt that Barnham instantly regretted what he had just said and he tried to make it up to her when she exploded in his face.

The former high inquisitor basically screeched with her voice taking on that creepy two-voiced tone that she would use on only her role as the great witch. "H-HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT, BARNHAM, YOU ARE A FOOL!" And with that, she whipped her hand forwards and smacked the knight around the face so he would fall over from shock.

Eve ran off into the distance with the fence blueprints in hands. She seemed to have been crying all the way as she faded from view when she got far enough. Should she have had two extra feet then her speed could have rivalled that of a cheetah, even more so because of the snow surrounding them. Her cloak even flapped in the breeze as she ran off.

Surprised, Barnham shakily got to his feet and he didn't say a word as he held on to the rest of the materials meant to create a fence. He didn't know what had just happened...

"...What on earth just happened?" He questioned to nothing but the frigid nip in the Winter air.

* * *

><p>Professor Layton and Maya sleekly skated across the ice, really not having a care in the world as they made the whole city their ice rink. They couldn't help but bask in the cool air surrounding them even though it was darn ice cold without a chance of heating up with the frigid air brewing around.<p>

The gentleman archeologist and spirit medium didn't say a word as they skated merrily across the ice.

Deciding to turn his feet inwards to stop skating, Professor Layton smirked warmly at the young woman whom was having a hard time staying on her own two feet now that they were coming to a stop. He noticed that the life seemed to have been sucked out of her and, therefore, sucking all the joy out of the air around them as well.

Concern suddenly gripped on to the Professor's emotions as he pulled the kimono-dressed young lady to safety off of the ice. He grabbed her hand and gently pulled her back on to the snow so she would no longer be at risk of slipping. He examined each and every inch of Maya's face as he tried to pinpoint the reason for her dropped mood.

"...Ms. Fey, is everything alright?" Professor Layton asked gently.

Maya nodded downheartedly as her eyes glazed over with sadness. She gently bounced on her feet as she rubbed at her wrists sadly with tears stinging at her eyes and making them stick down to the ground. She felt like the sadness she felt was strangling her heart.

The Professor, worried for her, gently led her to a place to sit down. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that she was cold from this freezing cold weather and a Gentleman always puts a lady's needs before his own.

Once Maya was properly sat down in a nearby bench, she only craned her head down to look at her ice cold feet as she rubbed her knees together in a poor attempt to warm herself up. She even felt tears begin to stream down her face uncontrollably as she felt memories of a certain somebody come flooding back to her.

Kneeling down beside her, Professor Layton softly rubbed her shoulder and he decided to make this as gentle as possible. He softly tried to make Maya feel comfortable and to make her feel a bit happier because her mood just seemed to hit, what Maya and Phoenix would call, all-time-low.

"Ms. Fey, what's with the sad face?" The Professor asked, a frown on his rectangular face.

Maya sobbed as she looked the top hatted gentleman straight in the face, tears trailing down her cheeks, and she gave a choked swallow as she tried to explain the reason for her sudden sadness.

"...Its just that this skating thing reminded me of my sis." She admitted with a fair bit of reluctance.

The Professor looked both flabbergasted and confused.

"Sis?" He repeated. From what he could assume here, this probably meant that Maya had a sister once that he never knew about. It sounded as if Maya had been through more than Phoenix and herself had been letting on whence telling their stories of their pasts even though they didn't really have the time to tell each other about everything in their lives.

The Professor knew that patience was the key and he nodded to her, silently urging her to say more on the matter should she feel comfortable with it.

Maya sighed, her breath appearing to be nothing more than a lowly white steam in this winter air, and she twiddled her thumbs while she began to try and recount the tale of how she lost her older sister. She didn't even know where to begin...

"Well, where do I start?" she cleared her throat, clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth and proceeded to explain "our mother, Misty Fey, was a Spirit medium of high honour and was disgraced by this obnoxious dude named Redd white who leaked private info to the press about a mistake, tarnishing the Spirit medium reputation and my mom's name."

She looked at the Professor for a moment, noticing that he was being awfully quiet as she told her tale of loss and she continued "When my sister, Mia, came of age, she decided to leave our home and become a defence attorney to discover what happened to our mom after she disappeared off the face of the earth. She eventually met Nick and took hI'm beneath her wing and taught him about being an attorney."

The Professor stroked his chin upon hearing this. So Mr. Wright was Mayas sister's protégé, was she? That would explain the mysterious loss he was so reluctant on sharing earlier. This was very intriguing so he stayed silent throughout the rest of the tale.

"One night awhile later, Mia and I had arranged to meet up. She was asking me to take something with me, some evidence I think, and this Redd White guy had found it all out somehow. He m-m-mmmmm..."

Maya's eyes burned and she swallowed what felt like a stone in her throat. She seemed to have trouble saying that word that she was so used to hearing, especially when it came to her own sister and another family member she had lost recently. She sighed to calm her nerves and she said it plainly;

"He MURDERED Mia by slamming the evidence down on her...o-on her..." She began crying much harder now and she tossed her head forwards to bury it in her lap so she could scream her frustrations out. Her cries and frantic sobs were muffled because of the fact that she had her face tucked in her knees.

"N-Nick and m-my cousin is all I have left! M-m-my mother and M-Mia were murdered right before my eyes and I-I-I was too weak to save them!" She howled with emotional agony whilst she just stayed in her pool of grief.

Professor Layton's face was filled with sympathy. This poor girl had gone through such trauma it seemed...her mother and her sibling were killed right before her eyes, she had every right to be sad especially since this was apparently her first Christmas spent without them. He gently removed his jacket and draped it over her shoulders so she could stay warm and he patted her back softly in an attempt to calm her down.

He knew that this wouldn't make everything better immediately and he doubted that he would be able to fix everything. The gentleman gently drew soothing circles on the Spirit medium's back with his palm and he shushed her in hopes to get her to calm down her hysterical crying fit.

"There there, Ms. Fey, don't you fret," He comforted, making her look him right in the eyes as her swollen blue eyes met his calm black dotted ones "indeed Christmas can be a lonesome time for those who are spending the holidays in what feels like the worst Christmas ever, but..." He smiled gently at her, his eyes softening a touch as he moved from stroking her back to encouragingly patting it "...that does not mean that you should give up all hope. You are still surrounded by those whom care deeply for you."

The gentleman watched as Maya began to get less hysterical and begin the gradual process of calming down from her meltdown.

However, he could sympathise with the poor young lady.

He had lost a lot in his life just like she had and he could hardly believe that he found the strength to keep going, it was inhuman to come up with that after everything he had ever been through. He closed his eyes and sighed heavily through his mouth and steam slipped from his mouth.

Grabbing the rim of his top hat and dipping it low below his eyes to disguise his expression, he stood up and said to Maya "While we wait for the others I know just the thing that makes me feel better,"

Maya furrowed her brows while lifting her gaze to meet Professor Layton's and she sniffled in confusion. Just what was the archeologist talking about here? She hadn't a clue as to what could make a man so merry so suddenly even if t'was the season to be jolly.

The blank look of perplexity on her face said it all and the Professor decided to answer her muted query before she could ask:

"My dear! What I am suggesting is we solve a little puzzle. A Christmassy one, mind you..." He tugged a bit at the tails of his scarf and he grinned joyfully at Maya in an attempt to both change the subject and to brighten both of their spirits to avoid anymore depressing moments such as this.

Hesitating for a second, Maya nodded her head in agreement. A puzzle couldn't be a bad way to pass the time and it may just make her feel better about everything.

"Alright, Professor, let's do this."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Oooh dear, not only has Barnham dug himself into a hole but now he is also having some lady issues. And the Professor and Maya are having some reminiscing blues, especially to deal with lost loved ones.**

**Lets see what else happens, shall we? **

**-Chloemcg **


	10. The Christmas stampede

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Phoenix wright since they belong to Capcom. I don't own the Professor Layton characters either since they belong to Level 5 games. I do own the idea, though, since nobody else had put an idea on fanfiction yet.**

**Carols of the bells in Labyrinthia.**

* * *

><p>Professor Layton lightly tugged at the tails of his scarf, tightening the woolly clothing around his neck a bit, and he quietly listened to the low whistling of the numbing cold winds of the winter snow around both himself and Maya. He kept his ears open and he thought up a very good festive puzzle that would hopefully bring some cheer back into those sweet childish eyes of the Spirit medium.<p>

He smirked when a puzzle came to his mind.

"Ms. Fey," He began, smiling at her "I do believe I have thought of the perfect Christmas puzzle."

Maya listened very carefully with an inquisitive expression on her face. She gave the gentleman archeologist a sullen yet curious look as she planted both hands on her lap and she waited for the puzzle to be heard. Honestly she was very curious but she blinked her puffy eyes to keep from crying again, she didn't want to break down again.

Diligently, Professor Layton didn't hesitate and gave her the puzzle for her to solve:

**"There are three different presents for children; A, B and C. They suddenly discover on Christmas morning that their parents had muddled their gifts up by their favourite wrapping paper. A says he wanted some red wrapping paper on his, B complains that he wanted a gift in teal and C laments on wanting a bright magenta. Can you figure out who the red present belongs to?" **

Maya's face twisted in confusion as she stroked her chin thoughtfully. She had noticed a pattern through that puzzle and it had mostly to do with the colours involved. She finally looked the scarf-wearing Professor Layton in the eye and gave a rather uncertain answer.

"Um...Is it C?" She guessed.

The Professor seemed intrigued as to why she chose that solution and he peered in with an interested grin. There was a certain patience to how he smiled and it was sort of comforting in a way so Maya could feel safe.

He asked in a soft voice "Oh? Why do you suggest that, my dear?"

Maya gave a very reluctant reply on that question as her expression dropped in hesitance. Her saddened mind buzzed and hummed as she squeezed her brains for the answer now that the solution that made her so certain was doused with that soft voice belonging to the Professor.

She mumbled and her gaze was fixed on the snowy ground below "I-I thought that Magenta is a shade of red, kinda, and its sort of possible that both A and C's presents were muddled up...I guess..."

The Professor smiled and folded his arms across his chest. He was certainly pleased, even though the tone of the solution Maya gave was uncharacteristically blunt. He couldn't blame the poor girl, though, she had cried herself dry moments ago and that wasn't really her fault.

He tipped his top hat to the spirit medium and gave her a praising smile "Well done, Ms. Fey, I couldn't have answered better myself!"

Maya gave a grateful smile in reply. She could tell that the gentleman archeologist was just trying to make her feel better but that was very gentlemanly of him; which was not surprising. She sniffed and wiped a pink sleeve across her tear-blurred eyes and she couldn't help but feel her heart lift a tiny bit when a shred of her confidence began returning.

Maybe things would turn out alright...

* * *

><p>Meanwhile; Phoenix, Luke and Constantine were in what used to be Eldwitch woods.<p>

They peered around the dark birch trees lining the entire woodlands as they searched for maybe a stag or a fawn or even a doe but anything representing a deer. They had been searching long and hard for a herd but their efforts were friutless thus far.

Luke carried Constantine in his arms, his eyes carefully scanning the snowy woodlands for a glimpse of any deer, and he gave a thoughtful hum of meaning. He was thinking about where on earth a deer could be hiding in this foliage and he couldn't help but try and look at the ground beneath his feet for hoof prints along with a single tuft of fur.

He sighed in defeat.

He could not see a thing resembling a hoof print.

"Huuuh, I can't see a single thing," He mumbled lowly before looking up and turning towards Phoenix "Mr. Wright, what can you find?"

Upon hearing his name, Phoenix glanced up with a furrowed wiry brow of confusion.

He was climbing down a huge oak tree. He, too, had been scouring every single inch of the woods for a deer but he couldn't find a thing! He shook his head in regret as he hung his head low and shamefully.

The spiky-haired attorney replied as he jumped down while landing on his feet "Zilch. I can't even see a single antler in these woods..."

Neither Luke or Phoenix said a thing but looked down in dishearted disappointment with their eyes piereced with dead hopes. They felt all hope of finding a deer perish in their souls except for when Constantine lifted his head and sniffed the bone-chilling frigid air.

The little brischon pup gave a few sniffs as if to try and discern a single scent that he was especially sensitive to, considering that he was a dog. He snapped open his beady little eyes and gave a sudden yap as he bolted and squirmed in Luke's tight hold. He was clearly trying to escape the Professors apprentice's grasp with a fiestiness that wasn't apparent before.

Luke was startled by the puppy's sudden active behaviour and gave a yelp that was good enough to rival how he felt.

Phoenix was confused and wandered towards Luke and the pup's side, trying to discern what could be wrong with Constantine, before said puppy bounced out of the boy's arms and gave a few whirls on the spot with his tail wagging a mile a minute.

Both Luke and Phoenix were confused.

"W-What's the matter, Constantine?" Luke asked when he gained control of himself and recalled how to make his voice work.

Constantine barked. He was clearly riled up by something as he raced down a specific path but looking back at Luke and Phoenix as he began to vanish from sight, as if hinting that he wanted both humans to follow him. He continuously yipped in desperation as he raced with a fiery determination, his speed fast enough to rival that of a cheetah frolicking across the savannahs of Africa.

Luke grasped what the pup was saying and gave a determined nod of his own before he gave chase after Constantine, Phoenix following closely behind as he panted early on the moment this little chase started.

"What did Constantine say, Luke!?" Phoenix asked, breathing heavily.

Luke looked over his shoulder towards the lawyer in blue and answered the question "He said to follow him, he has caught the scent of something!"

His young voice was laced with his own form of exhaustion and his eyes were permanently narrowed with both undying persistence and perseverance. He breathed steam as he ran.

The pair continued to chase after the little dog as fast as their two legs could carry them, continuing to run even with their limbs beginning to freeze over due to the frigid coldness being carried through the winter air wafting around. They were not going to let some coldness get the best of them!

They eventually came to a stop at the top of a hill. Both Luke and Phoenix's jaws dropped to the snow-blanketed ground beneath them as they stared at the beautiful sight below them.

Standing on the sloped side of the hill stood a whole herd of deer, grazing in the tall blades of grass just barely being able to be seen buried beneath the pillowy mounds of thick snowfall. The estimate amount wasn't able to be made up since there were too many deer innocently digesting as much grass as they could eat. Above the grazing flock of deer, over some snowy mountains afar, the sun was rising high into the baby blue skies and radiantly glistening like gold in the morning light and shining in glory in order to greet the cold winter morning. There was a certain beauty in this wistful scene as it painted the land in the peach golden glowing rays of sunlight deftly touching the land and certain shreds of shade overshadowing parts here and there.

Luke nor Phoenix could do nothing but take in this breath taking scene be holding them as their mouths gaped open so wide that you could probably fit maybe a whole grapefruit inside each of their mouthes. Both Luke and Phoenix's eyes were even wider then that as they barely fit inside their sockets.

It was just so beautiful.

However they didn't realise that Constantine was a bit excitable about this. The pup was bouncing and quietly yapping to himself while his little furled tail was wagging so much that the entire waggly appendage just might fall off from the force alone.

Phoenix and Luke were just so taken in by the scene that they failed to notice that Constantine was barely controlling himself and was bouncing out of control.

"Wow...this is amazing." Luke said, breathlessly.

Constantine was still leaping out of joy and accidentally slipped and began to barrel roll down the hill so fast that he was beginning to look like a huge boulder as he rolled down the slope and was on course towards the herd of deer.

Phoenix, unable to do anything else as he gained control of himself, yelled "Constantine!"

And everything spiralled out of control from there as Constantine tumbled right into one of the stags inadvertently, startling the wits out of it, as it gave a roar of fright and it reared back whilst tumbling into another stag and this causing each and everyone of the herd to panic.

Luke and Phoenix watched in horror as the herd dashed off from the hill down in the direction of Labyrinthia.

"Oh dear!" Phoenix shouted, smacking his own forehead as if to say "What have we done!?" And, not surprisingly, that's exactly what he was saying both mentally and physically.

Both Phoenix and Luke didn't hesitate in running back towards the town with Constantine dashing back the way they came, silently praying that they weren't going to arrive at the back to see a disastrous conclusion to their task. They could feel their chests cave in, pressing against their lungs, as they felt their chests become crushed like thin ice underneath a heavy foot.

* * *

><p>Professor Layton gently escorted Maya across the town, smiling giddily all the way as he hummed a little tune beneath his breath. He was clearly trying to lift Maya's mood and it was actually working as they both solved puzzles for people and tried assisting them with many political dilemmas and such.<p>

Maya was a bit droopy at first until both herself and the Professor had assisted Emeer with a drinking dispute with his girlfriend, which neither Layton nor her could believe he had found in Lettie Mailer. It was a rather...strange love.

"So, how are you feeling now?" The Professor asked with a merry grin, tipping his top hat to everyone both he and Maya passed by. He couldn't explain it but for some reason he felt seriously blissful and he could understand why everyone felt such a delightfully contagious Christmas cheer.

Maya smiled as she replied "I'm feeling better, thanks Professor."

It was true: her spirits had been lifted thanks to the Professor's constant efforts. She would not deny that she was feeling a bit more perky with every puzzle she helped solve and it was an ecstatic feeling that buzzed like electricity throughout her whole anatomy. She even swung her arms like pendulums on each side of her body with each step she took whilst she skipped down the road alongside the Professor.

Both Gentleman and Spirit medium felt like nothing could possibly go awry...until they noticed something definitely amiss.

The Professor and Maya looked up and around when a faint rumbling began to echo through the whole village, their expressions took on a tone of bewilderment as their eyes widened immensely and they tried to piece together what the sound could be.

They both redirected their attention to the ground below and noticed that the earth on the ground was beginning to vibrate in time with the rumbling that began to increase in volume. What could it possibly be? As the noise began to grow closer and closer, the distinct sounds of thundering hooves could be heard.

The rumbling was so powerful, even little stones buried in the snow began to pop up from below.

Both Professor Layton and Maya slowly looked up with eyes filled with dread. Their hearts sunk into their stomachs and all the colour practically drained from their faces whilst the rumbling grew ever louder to drown out every other noise supposed to be heard. They wordlessly looked towards the direction of the rumbling, thundering hooves and actually discovered that a herd of deer were stampeding straight for them and the villagers they had just so happened to have gathered.

"Oh no..." The Professor gasped in horror.

Without so much as another word said, an ocean of deer swallowed the whole path up and the folk walking by were chalk white with terror. They tried to take cover but some weren't very lucky as they were swallowed up in the stampede.

Kira let out a shrill scream as she braced herself for the impact, hugging herself as if her own life depended on it, and she squeezed her eyes shut. She even dropped her flowers out of horror as her pulse had died in her chest.

However she opened her eyes as she found after moments that nothing happened. She gasped when she saw that Zacharias Barnham had come to her rescue as he ducked and dived out of the way of the deer. She smiled in relief as she looked up at the face of her saviour, laying in his arms quietly.

When Barnham had managed to get the flower seller to safety, he placed Kira back on her feet and went back for more of the trapped inhabitants.

Layton, Eve Belduke and Barnham all raced to the rescue of stray folk whom had become caught up in the ocean of deer and made absolute certain to rescue each and every one they came across before they should suffer mortal harm and become trampled on. They saved each and every person they could see and they managed to wrestle them with great agility to the side of the streets and to safety.

When they were certain everyone was safe, Barnham and Eve begun to relax as they both breathed heavy sighs of relief but the Professor felt some unease. He was correct to worry, he realised, as a high pitched cry rang out through the stampede and they all gasped and whirled their attention towards the eye of the hoard racing passed them.

Upon closer listening, the cries actually sounded like the wails and stifled sobs of a small child.

Both Barnham and Eve moved to rescue the child in trouble but the Professor was right on the ball as he gave a high leap into the air and dived into the stampede without a single shred of regard for his own safety. He disappeared inside the sea of deers, stags and fawns for moments at a time and everyone waited for the top hatted archeologist to resurface.

Barnham, Eve, Maya and everyone else held their breaths in apprehension. They were all worried that Layton had been trampled on, what if he had been kicked in the head...or worse? What would happen should he suffer any internal injuries? Nobody had a way of knowing until the archeologist resurfaced.

Suddenly, much to their relief, The Professor leapt high into the air out of the rushing of ungulates with a little swaddled bundle fastened in his hold as he landed on the snow away from the stampede and falling on to his knee without damaging it.

The wailing infant Professor Layton held protectively was fastened close to his chest for a moment or two before he stood up slowly and passed the child to a woman, most likely the child's mother, before he was hastily approached by Barnham and Maya who tried to check if the Professor was alright after taking such a dangerous risk.

"Professor, are you okay?" Maya asked softly with concern, placing a hand on the gentleman's back.

The Professor bent over, touching his knees as he wheezed breathlessly with sweat dripping down his face. He had clearly gone through an adrenaline rush of some kind during that boost and had exhausted himself.

He panted and looked up at Maya and Barnham, smiling weakly at them "I...I am perfectly in fine fettle, thank you..." He sighed and bowed his head "...I just need...a moment to...catch my breath." He said in between pants.

By now, the deer had now rushed through the town exit as quickly as they ran through the streets and it had left everything in shambles.

Stalls were in splinters, work items were destroyed and prints were left everywhere in the snow. There was nothing but ruin spelt for the entire town...Nothing was spared from the ruin and wreck of the hard work of Labriynthia.

Not only that, but Phoenix and Luke had arrived on the scene with Constantine and they saw the mess of what happened to Labriynthia. They couldn't help but be startled by what they saw with not only the Professor but also with the streets being a mess of hoof prints left over from the stampede. Neither Luke nor Phoenix could believe what they were seeing here as their faces fell into ones of both despair and shame.

"...What happened here?!" Eve asked suddenly, startled by what had just happened here.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Oh dear. Now Luke and Phoenix are probably in trouble because of what happened to the deer and the stampede. What will Luke and Phoenix be able to explain here, can they sort everything out? **

**And where is Espella? **

**We also get a cameo of Kira from the PL vs AA game. Let's see what else happens.**

**Please review soon! **

**-Chloemcg**


	11. Professor Layton's romantic advice

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Phoenix wright since they belong to Capcom. I don't own the Professor Layton characters either since they belong to Level 5 games. I do own the idea, though, since nobody else had put an idea on fanfiction yet.**

**Carols of the bells in Labyrinthia.**

* * *

><p>A depressing atmosphere settled in the frigid cold air as Phoenix, Luke, Constantine, Barnham, Eve Belduke, Maya and Professor Layton stared sullenly at the aftermath of the destruction they inadvertently caused.<p>

All the group could do was stand there in the cold.

Eve, repeating her earlier question, asked once more in a stern voice "What happened?"

All eyes were on Luke, Phoenix and Constantine.

They all cowered beneath the looks of their allies and they couldn't help but shuffle their feet against the snow in the exact same way guilt gnawed at their minds. They couldn't utter a peep as they looked sullenly down at their feet and frowned downheartedly.

Suddenly, however, one of the townsfolk pointed out in a screech "It was that stupid boy!"

Luke's eyes widened in confusion before they filled up with tears. He was so obviously confused at the fact that now accusations were being tossed right at him and now he couldn't help but whimper as he shied away from the accusing people whom glared daggers at him.

He timidly hid behind Phoenix's leg as he asked "W-What?"

The Professor's apprentice had a voice of glass that sounded rather squeaky from the upset that was going through his system. Surely that accusation was like a cheek-numbing smack to the face!

Another citizen yelled, joining in the blaming game "Yes! That impudent child and dumb mutt are the ones whom caused this!"

Luke and Constantine both looked wounded as they shied away further. This was a pure accident, it was nobody's fault! yet Luke felt that maybe he was the one to blame for the stampede. He should've kept a sharper eye on Constantine and tried to have calmed him down otherwise this could have been avoided. The boy buried his face in Phoenix's blue trouser leg and hid his wounded expression from those glaring eyes.

The Professor and Zacharias decided to dive in and protect the boy as they both scowled right back at the townsfolk who had the audacity to accuse such a young and responsible lad such as Luke.

"You leave him alone," Barnham yelled "the boy in the cap nor my dog are not the ones to blame, nobody is! Both them and Sir Blue Knight may have been at the heart of this but I have reason to believe that this was nothing but a complete incident!"

"...Or was it?" The Professor added, clearly thinking deeply on the matter.

Everyone turned their heads to face the gentleman wearing the top hat. He seemed to have already had a theory of what had truly transpired in mind and whatever it was, they were all certainly eager to hear it. They didn't say a word but they listened with open hears to what was on the Professor of archeology's mind.

Pacing slightly on the spot, the gentleman asked them "Tell me; has anyone seen Espella or the rogues anywhere about?"

Everyone stopped.

That was a very good question.

Nobody had seen Espella, Eve the cat or some rogues named Muggs and Robbs anywhere since the search for the proper festivities. It was sort of disconcerting since Espella should have really come back, especially since she was given but a simple task. She was only supposed to go and get some bread from the bakery, where else could she be?

They all shook their heads at the Professor whom in turn grinned knowingly as he snapped his fingers through the crisp winter air.

Obviously his suspicions -whatever they were- had been confirmed.

"Everyone, I think I know what happened to Espella and the rogues. But, to prove my theory correct, we need to spread out and search all corners of this town." Professor Layton concluded, tugging at the tails of his scarf as he prepared to get a running start towards any random direction.

Luke, eager to be by his mentor's side, hurriedly jogged after him.

Phoenix decided to take over from there as he shrugged to himself lazily. He was clearly left in charge here since the top hatted gentleman had just flown the coop and he couldn't pass an opportunity to make himself look good and not idiotic in a courtroom somewhere.

Taking charge, the Ace attorney pointed at himself and Maya.

"Okay, then. Maya and myself'll look around Eldwitch woods," he pointed to Zacharias and Eve so he could pair them up together but he quickly noticed that there was some noticeable tension between them whilst they glared daggers at each other. He smiled nervously as he quickly thought up a plan to ease them better "Barnham you go with the Professor and Luke, while Eve...and the devil dog will go with us."

Phoenix felt a bead of sweat threaten to trickle down his face whilst he hesitated greatly in including Constantine to come with him again. He really disliked the idea of being a chew toy again but he was willing to do anything to speed up the search...and he was more than willing to _not _be paired up with Emeer who looked more then willing to go with them.

"Oi! What about me, Emeer Punchenbaug!?" Asked an irritatingly impatient Emeer, clearly wanting to go along.

Phoenix and Maya quickly decided to run before he could have a chance to be included as they took off faster than children sliding across the ice whom were freezing cold and wanted hot chocolate. Eve and Constantine followed, leaving the man in the dust.

Feeling left out, Emeer asked nothing but the open air "...Whats with the cold heart, Bluey?"

* * *

><p>Professor Layton, Luke and Barnham travelled through the snowy plain with a blissful silence hanging over them. The only single thing that left each of their mouthes would have to be the steam that would abruptly rise up into the open air each time they took a single exhale out through the mouth.<p>

As they travelled, however, Layton decided to start up a nice conversation with Barnham as he commented with a warm voice "Well, Barnham, I have noticed that you and Eve have been getting along nicely."

Barnham shrugged in reply.

He was obviously careless about the matter and was clueless as to what the archeologist was implying to him, regardless he responded to the comment with his tone sort of lax and clueless "Why, yes; I suppose one does grow close with a frivolous feline such as her."

The Professor furrowed a brow in confusion. Did he just call Mrs Belduke a frivolous feli-! Oh, he meant the cat. His cheeks became tainted with a slight crimson colour upon making that realisation and he fought the urge to sheepishly scratch the back of his head with his fingers digging deeply through his hair so the tips of his fingers could brush against his scalp.

He even subconsciously dipped his hat low over his eyes to hide his expression but he couldn't hide the chuckle.

"Oh. Hahahaha! no, no, I meant Ms. Belduke!" He amended, laughing as he walked.

Luke joined in the conversation happily, happily skipping alongside the Professor as they both talked about the former knight of inquisition's love life.

They failed to realise that they were now heading into the forest that was sheeted with sleek snow with the occasional leaf-naked tree standing tall and making this place abundant with the huge trunks of nature. It was so dull and wintery that the atmosphere was almost as stale as old breadcrumbs hidden beneath a fridge.

The grey yet cloudless skies were lifeless whilst the snow was chalk white and was left without a single print. It was begging to be played in and Luke found the snow being so clean and spotless so irritably tempting to play in. It was irresistible!

The two English gentlemen and the knight wandered through the snowy pastures with stiffened legs as they chatted.

Barnham's mood changed when Ms. Belduke was brought up. He glared down at the ground with such a dark look that it was like he was wanting the ground dead and burnt into naught but ash and crispy burned stuff.

Grumbling moodily, Barnham admitted "Ms. Belduke and I haven't been on good terms as of a few minutes ago..."

The Professor raised a brow of concern and curiosity, frowning as he did so. He was intrigued to hear more and the matter and pressed on "Oh? What happened?"

Barnham swallowed hesitantly. Should he really be telling this to a guy who barely knew him? He didn't know what will happen should he tell Sir Dark hat but he didn't exactly have any choice in the matter, it made him feel vile to keep secrets.

"...I sort of...errr..." He hesitated further in spilling the beans, glancing down and stopping dead in his tracks.

He closed his eyes and spat it out;

"I sort of told Ms. Belduke in the heat of an argument that she is the cause of destruction..."

Both the Professor and Luke stopped dead in their tracks and looked at Barnham as if he had just told them that it was the end of the world and pigs were dog fighting in planes whilst flying through the air. For moments, neither of them spoke a word. They couldn't...

Not until the Professor tutted and went over to the troubled knight and he placed a hand on his shoulder plate.

"Barnham," The sophisticated Professor of archeology started in a knowledgable tone "if you wish to impress a lady, you need only to be a gentleman."

Barnham scratched his head. He never tried to be a gentleman before, he deemed it an unneccesary profession and kind of dumb. However he had to admit that he needed some assistance here and being totally mean to the girl wasn't going to help any.

Tipping the rim of his top hat, Layton focused to walk through the bone-chilling freezing cold. He smiled warmly and winked at the former inquisitor before he continued to speak with a warm tone warming his tone like a cookie reheated in a microwave, "It is obvious that you have offended the girl by bringing up the past, what exactly were you arguing about?"

Barnham answered the question casually although he was unaware that Layton would be stunned beyond words "...she tried seducing me into telling her why I was feeling down as of late."

The Professor blankly stared at the man while Luke was gawking at him, both of them clearly stunned beyond belief because of what the guy had just told them about his predicament. Seriously? This was all about Zacharias telling the woman formally named Darklaw about all her past crimes and bringing up pains of the past dwelling on the inside.

Dipping his hat low over his eyes, the Professor sighed before he looked back up at him with slightly narrowed eyes of annoyance "And that is something that you must _never _do to a lady. The right thing to do would be to tell her the truth, in that aspect, because she was only concerned for your well being and wanted to relieve you of that secret."

Barnham's eyes widened as a blush risen to his tan cheeks. They were tainted scarlet and he wasn't sure if it was from the cold or if it was from something else. He couldn't tell her the truth, it would be social suicide!

Luke gave Barnham a mirthy grin and slyly wagged his brows slyly, whisking his gaze sideways so he could look up at Barnham. The look he gave was strangely intimidating as he asked slowly but with a tittering edge of mockery "You like Ms. Belduke, don't you?"

Barnham's eyes went wide and his heart stopped dead in his chest. He had just been found out!

He went into a stammering fit, tripping and stumbling on each word he tried to say in order to prove the boy's correct assumptions wrong.

If that wasn't bad enough; this made his face go brighter then a stop light and then the Professor joined in as he furrowed his brow even deeper with an amused grin on his face.

"Ah, it would appear you do have some romantic interest in Ms. Belduke." The top hatted Professor looked like he was trying so hard to suppress a laughing fit so he could maintain his calm composure.

Professor Layton placed a calming hand on the knight's shoulder and told him in a warm tone that could melt the snow around them since it was so kindly; "Mr. Barnham, when you get a chance to see her next all you need to do is apologise and confess to her."

Barnham took these words to heart. Of course he should apologise to her but what about confessing his love to her? How could he do it? Should he even risk their friendship and destroy it should this be wrong?

Luke read his mind perfectly and asked rhetorically "...Isn't a risk for love a risk worth taking?"

Barnham closed his eyes and hung his head, thinking about how to answer that to himself. He would feel like a wreck should he keep this inside for too long and she may even find another man in the time it takes to tell her that he...he loved her.

Now he could finally realise it.

He loved Eve Belduke, he truly and honestly loved her.

He would stake his motor boat on it, he adored her and wanted nothing more than to make her happy. Then it was decided, he was going to tell her!

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Awww, Luke and the Professor turn into romantic experts. And Barnham realises his feelings for Eve (Belduke) and now they are off to find Espella and the rogues. Where could they have gone, anyway? **

**Anyone have any ideas?**

**Please review. It's nearly Christmas and I may not get this done in time...**

**If I don't then merry Christmas! **

**-Chloemcg**


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